Bridges
by Ariel119
Summary: Kate & Rick are engaged, now what? Life under 1 roof, an engagement party, Kate IDs Castle's dad, wedding prep and some quick mysteries. Lots o drama/Caskett fluff, bordering on light smut at times. M for safety. COMPLETE! See "I'll Give You the World"
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Author's note: So I have this CD in my car stereo, it's one of my absolute favorites, it's Jenny Paquette, a New England based country singer. She performed on a harbor cruise I took back in July of 2001. Lately as I've been listening, some of the pieces sound like they should have been written for Kate and Rick. I can no longer restrain myself from working the lyrics into a story, so that you all can see what I mean.**

They rode home from the ball, hands intertwined. Kate smiled fondly, thinking of the moments after Rick had slid the beautiful ring on her finger. She'd laughed when he told her he didn't order a pocket for her gun so she couldn't shoot him. He'd nodded at the orchestra conductor, who had been watching the events unfold along with everyone else in the room. The conductor nodded back, then turned to his podium. Suddenly the band struck up "At Last". Since she was already in his arms, they simply started dancing. She shook her head at him, smiling. She should have been amazed at all of the detail he had put into his plan, all of the accomplices involved (and she WOULD be having a chat with Lanie about keeping mum). But then, was it any different than the carefully constructed and woven plots that made his books best sellers? Only this time there had been more at stake than his reputation as an author. And hadn't he warned her that she would be in for a hell of a courtship?

After their dance they had made their way back to their table, accepting the congratulations of strangers and acquaintances alike along the way. Standing with their knot of friends was Mayor "Bob", who beckoned to a waiter standing unobtrusively on the sidelines. The waiter approached with a tray full of glasses filled with champagne. He passed a glass to each of the assembled well-wishers, before fading back into the fringe. Standing in a tight circle with Kate and Rick, Lanie, Ryan & Jenny, Esposito, the Captain and the judge, Mayor Bob had raised his glass.

"To Rick and Kate. May they find years of happiness, and be so distracted with one another that the rest of us stand a chance at the poker game!" Laughter, clinking and choruses of "Hear, hear" had followed.

Kate blinked and shook her head to clear the memories. They were pulling up in front of Rick's, well, THEIR loft. They had agreed to make Labor Day weekend the official move-in date, but in their minds her apartment was merely a large, distant closet, particularly given tonight's events.

A giggly round of rock, paper, scissors had won Kate dibs on the first shower. Rick helped her out of her dress. He tried to help her out of her undergarments, too, but she swatted his hands away and dashed for the bathroom. He contemplated pouting, but her back was to him so the effort would be lost on her. He settled for admiring the view of her retreating form. She DID have an adorable behind, clad in lace, sitting atop well toned legs. When she disappeared behind the bathroom door, he shrugged and started to undress.

He heard water running, and then…music? He remembered then that she had brought over a docking station for her MP3 player. He listened to the song, not so much by choice as by the fact that Kate had cranked up the volume. Either she wanted to be sure she'd hear it over the shower or she really liked it. Those were essentially the same reason, now that he thought about it.

_Never really thought about you and me like this, never crossed my mind to cross that line._

_Can't believe that I could be completely unaware that somewhere in time, you would be mine._

He smiled. Hmm. Pretty, and so appropriate for them. No wonder Kate liked it. His theory was confirmed when she started to sing along.

_Don't know what happened to me underneath your spell, I only know how helplessly I fell_

_Ah who knew that I'd be loving you, so unexpectedly love comes, you never know who'll turn out to be the one. Destiny is a big mystery, oh and I didn't have a clue, you were the one who knew._

Wow, it even referred to a mystery and clues. It's like it was written for them. He couldn't help himself, he opened the door, clad only in his boxers now. Kate's soulful voice grew stronger. He hadn't known she had such an amazing voice. There went another layer of the Beckett onion.

_Well you knew I loved you, never wanna let you go. Yeah you knew I loved you, knew this love would grow._

_Sometimes the obvious is way too hard to see, it isn't always clear what's meant to be._

He eased the shower curtain back, nudging the bathmat into place with his foot so that the water wouldn't splatter on the floor. Not only would that make a mess, but the sound would alert her, and he wanted to enjoy this unguarded moment for as long as possible. She turned around just as the song hit the chorus again. "Ah, who knew that I'd be…" She stopped singing and cried out with surprise. "Jesus, Castle, what are you doing?" She reached for the waterproof remote to the docking station and paused the music.

He merely smiled at her at first, his eyes traveling down her body, following the path of the water flowing over her. He had known many women in his day, and none of them had ever had the effect on him that she did. He dragged his gaze back upward, to finally meet hers. She was still waiting for an answer. At least they had reached a level of comfort that she WASN'T waiting for an apology, although removing the curtain had allowed the draft from the air conditioning to reach her, and she was starting to get goose pimples in the places the water wasn't touching. An apology for that might be necessary, but first back to her question.

"I think I might be listening to our wedding song." She gave him the gentle smile he normally saw when he had been, in her words, "kinda sweet". That smile made him go mushy inside, though at the moment there was a certain part of him that was decidedly NOT mushy, which she seemed to notice when she glanced down at his boxers. That produced an entirely different smile, which made the warm fuzzies subside in deference to his now screaming libido.

"You know, you're letting in a draft here." She paused, and he had the apology at the ready, until her next words. "You coming in or not?" She was aware that this was a clever twist on the phrase she had used on a couple of occasions, her way of accepting the olive branch he extended, letting him know that for the moment he was out of the doghouse.

He was out of his underwear and into the shower beside her before the words "or not" finished bouncing off the tile walls. Pulling the curtain closed with one hand, he reached for her with the other. She let him kiss her once, twice, then put her hand up and gently pushed him away. She motioned for him to turn away from her, which he did, but not before giving her a look of curiosity. There was no suspicion in his eyes, mostly because he was game for anything she wanted to try. Hitting the fast forward button on the remote a few times, she said "I think you'll like this..."

"Honey, I'm in the shower with a gorgeous naked woman. The only way I'm NOT going to like it is if that woman intends to kill me, and even then it might be worth it."

She didn't bother rolling her eyes, he wouldn't see it anyway. She grabbed her exfoliating gloves and slid them on, then poured a dollop of his shower gel in her hand. Though he would probably be more than willing to trade smelling like cherries for what she was going to do for him, she wasn't that mean. He had been amazing to her tonight, and she wanted to give him a little special treatment in return, although when she had thanked him for everything during the ride home, he had pointed out that her acceptance of his proposal was more thanks than he would ever need.

She hit "play" on the remote, then rubbed her hands together to make some lather. As she reached for his shoulders, an upbeat music intro started, and she began to sing again.

_Boy aren't you lucky that you're standing beside me_

_I let you in cause all your knocking drove me crazy_

_I haven't let somebody get this close for a long time_

She worked her way down his back, continuing.

_Guess you could say I hid behind a big wall_

_Compared to mine the one in China ain't no wall at all_

_Couple of times I almost let down the ladder but I changed my mind_

Trying to focus on the words she was singing was a challenge, due to the fact that his senses were trying desperately to sort out what she was doing to him. He'd heard the sound of the soap being squeezed out, but rather than being followed by her smooth hands gliding over him, he felt a light scratchy sensation, sorta tingly. She seemed to deliberately bypass his ass, diverting her hands to either side and work her way down his hips and thighs. He snapped his attention back to her singing before it had the chance to contemplate where her hands would end up next.

_I'd let them in a little, but never all the way, somewhere in the middle, my heart would get afraid_

_So tentative and hesitant, you tell me that you're heaven sent, and I have to laugh_

_Yeah and how can I say no to a get to me face like that?_

At that HE had to laugh. The song continued. So did her hands. She was trying to drive him crazy, he was sure of it now.

_Guess your persistence really paid off for you_

_You got your way I hope you're happy, 'cause I'm happy too_

_That silly smile of yours is making me believe in all I never could._

She crouched now, scrubbing down and back up his left leg, then his right, her thumbs touching to make a U shaped scrubbing tool. The song returned to the chorus.

_I'd let them in a little, but never all the way, somewhere in the middle, my heart would get afraid_

_So tentative and hesitant, you tell me that you're heaven sent, and I have to laugh_

_Yeah and how can I say no to a get to me face like that?_

She stood back up, and slid her hands under his arms to lather his chest and stomach.. When she ran the gloves over his nipples he nearly lost his mind. He groaned. And still she sang.

_You know what you're doing, 'cause you found a way to get through the door_

_The places you've been going, nobody's been there before._

She maneuvered him around to face her, dropping the gloves to the floor of the shower. This time when she sang the chorus, her eyes were locked on his. He waited until the last strains of the song died, before pouncing on her, his eyes nearly black with passion. His kiss was demanding, ferocious, and stole her breath away. He growled and picked her up, entering her in one smooth motion and pinning her to the wall, her arms around his neck, her legs around his waist. He froze then, his control as thin as spider silk, knowing that as soon as he started moving within her, it would be over in seconds. "Oh, Kate, I…can't…" He looked at her desperately, and she seemed to understand his predicament. Her heart melted when she realized that with all she had done to him, he was still worried about meeting her needs first. She placed her hand on his cheek and nodded her consent. When he still looked uncertain, she shifted her hips forward slightly in encouragement, embracing him with a well-practiced Kegel contraction. Shock and awe flitted across his face, then ecstasy, followed by rapture as he found his release less than a minute later. He rested his forehead on the wall, trying to catch his breath. She was surprised he still had the strength to hold her up. As though reading her thoughts he slowly backed up, letting her feet drop back to the floor of the tub. She turned them both in a circle to rinse off whatever soap remained, then turned off the water.

She led him out of the tub and grabbed a towel, opting to blot at him rather than rubbing. Any more stimulation and the poor man might spontaneously combust. She guided him back into the bedroom, grabbing a towel for herself along the way. Once he was seated on the bed she started to dry herself off, and he started to come back to his senses. He finally had the presence of mind to climb beneath the covers and hold his arms out to her. When she was sufficiently dried, she accepted his invitation. The last thing she heard was "Good song…" before they both drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate woke up and stretched, conscious of the fact that her movements were not limited by the weight of a certain author's limbs wrapped around her. She extended her arm in a sweeping motion, expecting her fingers to brush some part of him in their path, but all she felt was the smooth sheets. Disoriented, she sat up, her gaze sweeping the room. At the doorway, twinkling blue eyes met hers. She took in the -knowing smirk and, slightly further down, the blessed cup of coffee. She eagerly reached for the cup. Rick approached, started to hand her the ceramic mug, then seemed to think twice. "Not so fast, Detective. Where's my good morning kiss?"

"Well you'd have gotten it if you'd been here when I woke up" she retorted.

"Ah but then you would have had to wait a few more minutes for your coffee."

"Very well. Come here." He leaned in, stealing his kiss while simultaneously planting the coffee in her hand. The second the mug was safely in her grasp, she reached up with her free hand, caressed his cheek, then tweaked his ear hard enough to bring him to his knees. She pulled back (for his sheer determination had kept him from breaking the kiss, even in pain) and smiled serenely. "Withholding my coffee is bad for your health."

"Really? I hadn't noticed" he replied, rubbing his ear. "I might need a second opinion on that. I'm sure the Surgeon General will be happy to let me pick his brain the next time I see him."

Kate just rolled her eyes at him, drinking her coffee. "So what's the plan for today?" she asked.

"I was thinking paddle boats in Central Park." He responded with a grin.

"You sure? The last boat we saw in Central Park had a dead body in it."

"Right! So the law of average states that the boat house should be body-free for a good while. Please?" Castle begged.

Kate relented. "Ok, I have to go over to my apartment first and pick up some more of my clothes."

"I can go with you and help" he offered.

She shook her head. "No, you stay and write. Gina has started calling ME now, asking for updates. I swear, the second the engagement hit Page 6, I officially became your new keeper. Not that I wasn't before." She muttered this last part. It gave her a fascinating idea. Castle, for his part, seemed to have totally missed it, absorbed with the first part of her statement.

"Gina called YOU? Again?" He looked more than a little uncomfortable, which Kate found more than a little amusing.

"What's wrong? Afraid we are going to compare notes? No worries, honey, I don't share with the rest of the class. However, I am a detective first and foremost. That means when I talk to someone, I tend to ask them questions, see?"

Castle nodded, swallowing hard, fear already building, starting to see where she was going with this.

Kate continued, noticing he was slightly paler. "The more she calls me, the more questions I am going to ask. Eventually I am going to get around to some of the _good questions. _The dirt-dishing kind?"

He was nearly translucent now. "Dirt?" he asked faintly.

"Yes, Castle, dirt. I have seen your criminal file, but I'd be willing to bet Gina knows where the proverbial bodies are buried. SO, I think it's in your best interests to FINISH THE DAMN BOOK so that she stops calling me."

He nodded energetically. By now Kate had finished her coffee. She rose from the bed to get dressed. Having donned jeans and a pull-over, she brushed past him and headed down the stairs. He followed her, vowing to throw himself into his novel. She smiled and favored him with a kiss after he saw her to the door. "I'll be back later this afternoon with some more of my things. We can go do the paddle boats and work up an appetite for dinner?"

He agreed, giving her another quick kiss before closing the door. He smiled, still shaking just a touch. He had seen her intimidate suspects during interrogation, he knew she was a force to be reckoned with, but she rarely turned that intensity on him. Most of their banter was just play. She wouldn't _really_ go fishing for details with his ex-wife, would she? He wondered. She might, if it got her leverage to make him "behave himself". Better not find out. He made a bee-line for his office, opened his laptop to the last chapter he had finished, and pondered. Nikki Heat was about to interrogate a suspect. He could actually channel this nervous feeling to make what the suspect was going through seem more real.

Striding down the hall, Kate was chuckling softly to herself. When he leaned down to kiss her goodbye, he had rested his hand on her shoulder. His palm was positively drenched with perspiration. Good to know that Mr. Self-assured, "the mayor's a fan" had an Achilles heel.

Her thoughts turned back to the beginning of their conversation, to the flash of inspiration she had gotten while grousing about being his keeper. Her lips curled in a very feline smile, and she decided to pay a visit to "The Love Shackle".

Back in her apartment, Kate packed at least half a dozen boxes, but she still felt overwhelmed. It gave her an idea. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to Alexis. Call me if you aren't busy

In less than a minute her phone rang. She asked how the summer program was going, and confirmed her recollection that it would be wrapping up soon. "Alexis, I have a favor to ask. I know what a great job you did with the property room, you have to be one of the most organized teens I've ever met. Would you mind helping me pack up my apartment when you get back?"

"Sure Det..I mean Kate, I'd be happy to. I didn't know you were moving. Where to?"

"Where to?" Kate repeated, dumbstruck. "Uhh, Alexis, haven't you been talking to your dad?"

The teen giggled then. "Sorry, Kate, I was just teasing you. Dad put me up to it. I would have kept going but I guess I don't have Gram's flair for drama. Of course, I have heard all about your move, and the engagement. You looked gorgeous in the pictures. I am so happy for both of you, and I am glad you and I will get to spend more time together. See you next week?"

"Next week" Kate confirmed, concluding the call.

Her next call was to a taxi company that she knew had vans in the fleet. She made her way back across town, where Castle's doorman helped her transfer the boxes upstairs.

Inside the loft, Kate fished a pair of shorts out of a box, then set the rest aside for the time being. She got changed and went in to free Castle from the captivity of his office. He told her he had completed two more chapters and was well into a third. They headed down to Central Park, where they rented a paddle boat and climbed in. She even let him "drive", and he showed off his leg strength and stamina cruising them around the lake. She helped a little, and had no choice but to take over completely when he started cramping from his exertion. They returned the boat and went to have dinner at an Indian restaurant.

On the way back to the loft, Rick told her that he had cleared out some drawer and closet space for her. Once inside he helped carry boxes upstairs, and she started to unpack. She deliberately left the bag with that afternoon's acquisition in plain sight in the top of one of the boxes. When he passed by, his attention was drawn to it. He pretended he didn't see it, tried to respect her privacy, but he simply could not last. Teasing her would be far too much fun. He plucked the bag out of the box and dangled it by his thumb and index finger.

"And what do we have here? A little something to indulge your dark side?" He grinned wickedly, waggling his eyebrows at her.

Rather than looking suitably embarrassed, she met his look matter-of-factly. "Actually, I got that today. For you."

His smile faded. He talked a good game, but truth be known, some of the stuff he had seen at Lady Irina's had unnerved him. If she called his bluff, what would he do about it? He would try not to go down too easily. He put his smile back in place. "For me, really?"

She nodded, her smile daring him to open the bag. He separated the folds of the bag, reached in and fished out its contents. A hilarious mix of confusion and horror played across his face. In his hands he beheld a black studded collar and leash.

"Wh-wh-what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked. "I could dare to hope we're getting a dog, but since the bag doesn't say 'Pets R Us'…." He trailed off weakly.

She walked up to him slowly, still holding his gaze. She could see his Adam's apple bobbing. "It just seemed appropriate. As I said earlier, I seem to have been given the official job as your keeper, but unofficially I have been at it for a couple of years now. Since you are so good at slipping your metaphorical leash, I thought I would get you an actual one as a reminder." She took the collar and leash out of his hand and hung it up in the closet, concealing it behind the purple dress.

Rick breathed a sigh of relief. THAT he could take. As she walked away, casually returning to her unpacking task, he heard her speak again. "Oh and by the way?"

Uh oh was it not over? "Yes, dear?"

"Think twice before you enlist Alexis as an accomplice in messing with my head, ok?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Four days later, Castle took the car service out to Princeton to pick up Alexis. He found her in the common room of her dormitory, surrounded by her suitcases. She brightened when she saw him. "Dad!" she squealed.

He picked her up and swung her around, then helped her haul the luggage out to the car, where the driver packed it into the trunk. She spent the ride back telling him all about the summer program. She had learned about genetics, art, engineering. She had also learned a little about heartache. Carter, the neighbor across the hall with the Zac Effron haircut, had paid attention to her for the first week, but after that his eye had been caught by some girl who wore more makeup and tighter blouses. Rick smiled and hugged her to him.

"Oh sweetie, on behalf of all idiotic members of the male species, I humbly apologize. Buy you a pony?" he offered, which made her giggle.

Back at the loft, Alexis called Kate and offered her assistance with the packing effort.

"Tell you what, Lex, why don't you just get yourself unpacked tonight, then spend some time with your dad. I happen to know first-hand that he is suffering from severe withdrawal symptoms."

Alexis laughingly agreed. She and Castle played laser tag, then a little poker. After ice cream, Alexis yawned and headed up to bed.

Rick glanced wistfully up the stairs. Kate had intentionally made herself scarce tonight so that he and Alexis could have their father-daughter bonding. If he was going to be forced to sleep alone tonight, he needed to burn off some energy, and he might as well do it by being productive. He headed to his office to do some more writing. He was down to the final chapter. Nikki had secured the last piece of evidence necessary to put the bad guys behind bars. Now it was a matter of how to address her relationship with Rook. A wicked smile formed. He wrote Rook into a work obligation that would take him out of the country for several weeks. That would give Nikki time to miss him, and he put just enough hope in her last thoughts to keep his loyal fans hooked and waiting for the third novel. He saved the document. He would have Alexis look it over in the morning, to check for any glaring bonehead errors, before he sent it off to Gina. He consulted the clock in the lower right corner of his screen. 1am, where had the time gone? Rick headed up to bed, got undressed and climbed between the sheets. The pillow that was typically hers smelled faintly of cherries. He hugged the pillow to his chest and tried to settle his mind, but it refused to cooperate.

Across town, Kate tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable. Since that magical Memorial day weekend, she and Rick had only spent one night apart, and that was when she had been at the station all night. They had caught a tough case, and she refused to leave because her mind was straining to make a connection among the clues. She was sure that with just a few more minutes of rumination, her subconscious would offer the answer on a platter. They had a spat that night. It started like many other late evenings had.

"_Come on Kate, let's pack it in, start fresh in the morning." _

_She shook her head distractedly. He moved behind her as she stared at the murder board. He glanced around them and when he was sure no one was looking, placed his hands on her shoulders and began kneading the muscles. She let herself relax into it for a grand total of thirty seconds, then she stiffened, knowing someone could come around the corner at any minute. She stepped away from him. _

"_Castle, please don't!" The words were polite, but the look that accompanied them was stony. He lifted his hands higher, as if in surrender. _

_Strictly speaking, it was no big deal, his hands on her shoulders, but she hated the damage it might do to her professional image. In her heart of hearts she knew it was ridiculous, even super cops got tense, but she loathed being viewed as anything less than strong, tough, invulnerable. She had worked too long and too hard to earn the respect of the "boys club". _

_Castle tried again an hour later. This time he had cornered her in the break room. "What do you say, let me take you home."_

"_NO, dammit. I don't need you taking me home, I don't need you hovering and trying to take care of me. What I NEED is a break on this case."_

_That stung him, she could see it on his face. Had she just said she didn't need him? That wasn't really fair, but before she could apologize, he lashed out. "Oh you need a break alright," he snapped "with a side of attitude adjustment."_

"_You don't like my attitude?" she shouted "Go home then. Nobody pays you to stay here anyway, and while you are here, you're not doing what they DO pay you to do, and that's write." _

"_FINE!" He threw the break room door open, grabbed his jacket from the chair beside her desk and stormed out, not even acknowledging Esposito on the way out. Espo watched him go, then scanned the room and met her eyes as she stood in the doorway of the break room. She returned to her desk with her coffee, placed the cup on her desk, then rested her head in her hands._

"_Beckett, you ok?" _

_Her head popped up. "Yeah, thanks, just this case getting to me. I'm going upstairs to catch a quick nap. Why don't you head home?"_

_Esposito had nodded, but looked unconvinced. Kate went upstairs, to the small room off the gym. She curled up on a cot, slept fitfully for a couple of hours, then woke and stumbled downstairs. She got herself some coffee, but after the first sip her stomach had churned, reminding her that she needed to put something else into her system. Then again, maybe it was her conscience; she regretted that she and Rick had fought. She shook her head and grabbed the file again. As she thumbed through it, a detail caught her eye and she sputtered. She instinctively reached for her phone and the call connected before she was aware of it. _

_The sound of Rick's voice on the other end had sent her treacherous stomach on another roller coaster ride. At least he answered, he could easily have let it go to voicemail._

"_Hello? You there?" She had been so lost in thought she hadn't heard what he said._

"_Hi_…_Listen, I was thinking. What if it was the mother-in-law?" she said, inviting him to build theory with her. It was their comfortable place, where they were most in sync. Their lovemaking was a close second, but they had been doing this for far longer, two minds that seemed to sharpen one another each time they connected, like knives. _

_He accepted it for the peace offering it was. "She has an alibi…but what if she paid someone else to get rid of the woman who 'stole her little boy'?"_

_On it went, taking turns laying out the pieces of the puzzle, until the picture was complete. _

"_I'm going to call for a warrant. Wanna come down and take me to breakfast while we're waiting?"_

_He was quiet for a moment before agreeing to meet her at Remy's. Over breakfast they had talked, apologizing for their heated words. Once word of the warrant came in, she had gone to make the arrest with her shadow firmly in place._

Kate smiled, remembering how they had made up later.

_She had shown up at his apartment wearing a trench-coat. A suspicious look blossomed on his face immediately, especially since no rain was predicted. She could tell he was recalling the last time she showed up similarly attired, at his Halloween party. 'Priceless' was the only way to describe the look of shock when she had opened her coat and the stuffed witch exploded toward him. _

_He swallowed, and apparently unable to dispense with the manners his mother had taught him, asked "May I take your coat?"_

_She nodded and undid the belt, then slid the buttons through their holes. She watched his eyes widen by degrees as they followed her hands downward, the edges of the coat parting to reveal more and more pale pink satin held together only with black criss-crossing ribbons. She released the last button and then shed the coat entirely. She heard him suck in a breath as he took in the garters, the pink mesh thigh high stockings, and the black heels. _

"_K-kate?" was all he could manage. She walked past him without a word, slowed, draped her coat over a chair and threw a glance over her shoulder at him. She was rewarded with the sight of him staggering and having to lean against the wall as he processed the fact that she was wearing a thong. She giggled. It was SO much fun to watch Mr ladies man come unglued. She approached him for a kiss. He met her lips eagerly, his hands roaming all over her body. He pulled back, she could see he was struggling to catch his breath. He looked incredulous. "If this is what you do after we fight, I'm going to want to fight a LOT more often."_

"_Yes, well, I felt bad that I hurt you. I wanted to prove that I DO need you, need this. It's just so tough, I've built this persona that is strong, so in some twisted way I worry that if I am seen as less than completely self sufficient, it's a sign of weakness." She hurried to continue when he opened his mouth to respond. "I know you were careful, it wasn't an open, public display. It's my own thing I've got to get over." _

_She smiled and, shifting gears, she reached down and felt him, confirming her suspicions about the effect her outfit had on him. "Now, you definitely have something I need. Why don't you take me upstairs and give it to me." And he had…..twice._

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 1:15am. She reached for her cell phone. It was an ungodly hour for the rest of the civilized world, but for them, no big deal. When he answered he didn't even sound groggy.

"Hey, gorgeous, I was just thinking about you."

"Really? What did those thoughts entail?" she asked.

"Partially fantasizing about that amazing pink and black outfit of yours." She laughed. Even across the city their minds seemed to be linked. She snapped her attention back as he continued. "But mostly I've been trying to figure out what password you put on the TV. You locked out the X-rated channels. You can't deprive me of your company AND that, it's not fair!" This was said in a slightly whiny tone.

"I wanted to make sure you weren't tempted by yet another distraction. That novel isn't going to write itself, you know."

"Actually, it's done. I will be sending it to Gina later on. But for now, I miss you and I can't sleep."

"Neither can I." Kate admitted.

"What are you wearing?" he asked suggestively.

"Did you really just say that?"

"You're avoiding the question.

"Because I'm not answering you."

"Why not? What won't you tell ME about? Something extra sexy? I've imagined you in everything I can think of, including nothing. I could use some inspiration…."

"If you call me muse, it's just going to be you and your imagination again tomorrow night.

"Oh come on Kate, please?"

"Good night, Castle"

"Wait, wait, don't you want to know what I'm wearing?"

"No, why would I?"

"So your dreams tonight can be accurate."

"In my dreams you're wearing duct tape…over your mouth. Good night…"

She snapped her phone shut before he could reply. She sighed and settled in to sleep, smiling. Their engagement hadn't completely eliminated the verbal sparring matches, and she was glad. Another idea came to mind and she grinned broadly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The next day, after Rick made happy face pancakes for Alexis and gave her his latest chapters to proofread, he headed into the precinct. By happy coincidence, he met Kate at the elevator. Once the doors closed, he placed a kiss on her lips and a bear claw in her hand.

"For my dream girl," he said with an exaggerated wink.

She smiled in thanks, almost feeling guilty for what she was going to do to him. Not quite, but almost. "I have a surprise for you." She watched his face light up.

"Really, now? And what might that be?" He spied the shopping bag she was carrying and frowned. "This isn't going to involve more discipline, is it? Because I'm pretty sure that somehow crosses the line YOU drew about not bringing our personal life into work…"

"Relax. This one's PG rated." By now the elevator had reached their destination. She went to her desk, wrapped her bear claw in a napkin and tucked it in her drawer. She beckoned him to follow her upstairs to the workout room. Only then did she hand him the bag. Inside he found sweats and a t-shirt. She smiled at his mystified expression. "I know you already know where the guys' locker room is. Meet you back here in 5 minutes." With no further explanation, she turned on her heel and headed into the women's changing room.

She emerged in her workout suit and began to stretch. She did a near-split and heard an appreciative whistle. Looking for the source of the sound was unnecessary. There wasn't' a single male in the building other than Castle who would dare.

"What exactly are we doing here?" he asked. "I mean, I have plenty of ideas, but none are PG."

"Well, for starters you could try stretching. And by that I mean your body, not your imagination or the truth. Then we are going to brush up your self defense skills."

"We're going to do WHAT? You know, just because Nikki Heat and her sparring partner had a thing, that doesn't mean life has to imitate art…" he said nervously.

"Well, Heat got intimate with the writer, didn't we imitate art there? Anyway, those head butts and elbow jabs you've employed before are good for starters, but I think you need a more refined skill set if you're going to continue to shadow me."

"Just you and I? Kate, this is not a good idea."

"Why not? You scared?"

"Well, I am a little intimidated at the moment. But there are two good reasons. First, I could never bring myself to hit you. Second, if we start wrestling, I'm not sure how easily I can keep my hormones in check."

"Sounds like convenient excuses to avoid getting your ass kicked. Now, come on. You'd be helping me. I'm already familiar with the moves of all my sparring partners."

"I thought this was about me protecting myself?"

"Well, it was, but since you are reluctant, I thought I would appeal to your need to take care of me."

"Shrewd, Kate. Very shrewd."

"Did it work?"

"Not really, but you know what will?

"What?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"If you give me your most solemn promise that tonight you'll give me a full massage."

"Done. Now, if someone grabs you from behind, but they're off to the side, I want you to bring your foot behind theirs and then push backward, try rolling them over your hip. Here let me show you. Try to grab me."

He looked very skeptical but complied. She pushed him over on his behind. When she turned around to help him up, she had to stifle a chuckle at the astonished and disgruntled expression on his face. "See, it doesn't matter that the assailant is bigger when you have the right leverage" she told him as she offered him her hand.

They traded places and he tried to push her over. After a couple of tries he was successful. She guided him over to the big weight bag and demonstrated a few kicks, then held the bag so he could do the same. She invited him to try to kick her, but when he did so she grabbed his foot and threw him off balance, so that he flopped to the mat. She instructed him to try the same moves. She directed a kick at him, but instead of grabbing her foot, he raised his own leg, went low, and swept her weight bearing leg out from under her. She fell unceremoniously to the mat. He stood above her looking down, grinning madly, before offering his hand to help her up.

"Someone's been watching the Karate Kid movies again. That's a nice plan B, but you put yourself at risk of losing your own balance when you do that. Try it my way." She couldn't bring herself to compliment him on taking her by surprise. She let him hoist her to her feet.

At the end she felt better that he had a couple of new moves in his repertoire, and she thought the dose of humility might do him good.

At the loft that night, Kate made good on her promise of a massage. They retreated to the privacy of his room. Naturally he had another bottle of oil in his nightstand. "What hurts?" she asked him.

"Does it matter? You promised a FULL massage."

"I know, just thought I would pay special attention to the parts you kept landing on." By now he was stretched out on his bed face down, so he couldn't see her grin, and she couldn't see his torn expression.

They both knew perfectly well he landed on his butt most often. Would he admit that she had been able to knock him flat, if it meant she would focus her caressing there? There were tense negotiations between his libido and his pride. In the end, libido reminded pride that they had gone against an officer trained in self defense. Pride put up one more futile argument that a FEMALE brain had been behind the wheel of the ass kicking machine. Libido pointed out that that same female brain would be working the hands that soothed said kicked ass. Who knew what else she could be talked into?

"Well, my butt IS a little sore, now that you mention it. Must have fallen on my wallet."

"Really?" She asked dryly. "Considering those sweats had no pockets, your wallet should have been in your locker. How exactly did you manage to fall on it in there?"

He turned his head to the side so she could see the pout. She relented, placing her hands on the small of his back, working circles lower and lower, until he was sighing. She continued down his thighs to his calves, even worked his feet in a circle to loosen the ankles. Then she grasped one foot firmly. "You know, I have been curious about something for a while now…"

"What's thaaaaaaa" he bit off as she ran her fingernails along the sole of his foot relentlessly. He tried to fight her but he was laughing too hard.

"Ticklish feet! I thought so. Where else?" She tried the backs of his knees. Score! He wriggled again. She crawled upward and sat on him, reaching for his ribcage.

To her surprise, as she made contact he said "NO no no!" and rolled frantically, dumping her on the floor. She landed with a soft thump on the thick rug. He looked over the side of the bed at her. Fortunately, there were no other pieces of furniture in the immediate area. There were two reasons for this. One, the room was spacious enough so that he could put the furniture back away from the bed. Second, he had done this out of necessity. He knew how…energetic…he could be in the throes of passion. Hadn't he and Meredith made an all-points landing with their finale just last year? He hurriedly buried that memory. He felt weird enough that he had over-shared the details. In fairness, he and Kate had been nowhere near together at that point. Now, however…

He had made sure to call Meredith the morning after the Governor's Ball to tell her of his engagement. Rather than offering congratulations, she was actually loony enough to ask him what that meant for their "top 10" efforts. "It means we're DONE, Meredith. I know you don't understand the concept of monogamy, clearly, since you stepped out on me, but **I** don't hurt people like that." He had made his tone firm and marginally patient. She'd hung up on him.

Rick pulled himself back to the present. He wasn't certain how long he had been musing, but apparently it was long enough for Kate to build up a small head of steam over him staring at her, rather than helping her up. Unfortunately he said the most foolish thing possible at that moment.

"What? Detective 'Self-Sufficient' is waiting for little old me to pick her up?"

Kate practically vaulted off the floor toward him. He wasn't sure if she was going to tickle him again or throttle him. She wasn't sure either. Neither of them would find out, however, because they were interrupted by a tentative knock on the bedroom door. "Dad? I heard a crash! Are you OK in there?"

Rick pressed his fist to his forehead. "Uhh Yeah honey, I'm fine." He looked up at Kate, who was straddling him and blushing right to the roots of her hair. _"We're fine"_ he whispered. He continued in a soft tone, "I think I owe that girl a raise in her allowance. She may have just saved my skin."

On the other side of the door, Alexis merely shook her head and smiled. Since Kate was moving in soon, it wasn't exactly a state secret what was probably going on in there. She just figured she owed her father a little payback, for any number of times he had embarrassed her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The following day was Saturday, Kate's day off. She was bringing Alexis with her to her apartment. Rick bade them goodbye after breakfast. "So, I'll see you ladies later."

"Yes, if you could come by in a few hours, you can pick up what we've packed. Then we can talk about the bigger things." Kate responded.

"Bigger things?" The way he quirked his eyebrow and smiled at her told her he wanted to make a more suggestive comment, but given that Alexis was in the room, he had to restrain himself, particularly after last night, and it was killing him.

Kate figured the best response was to completely ignore the innuendo in his eyes. "Yes, like what furniture is going with me and what's getting donated."

Kate and Alexis set to work. She asked Alexis to finish packing the books and CDs in the living room, while she went through her desk, sorting out the personal papers she needed from the crap that had just accumulated over time.

That done, they went in the bedroom. Kate had already packed her lingerie drawer, no need to traumatize the poor kid. They worked on the closet. Kate weeded out the things that were destined for the donation bin, then let Alexis pack the rest. They employed the same strategy for the bureaus. When the teen admired a pale aqua sweater of hers, Kate said she could have it.

"Oh no, Kate, I couldn't." she refused.

"Yes, you can. It's a perfect color for you. Consider it my thanks for your help."

Alexis hugged her. "Ok, thanks, but you really don't need to. I like helping you."

They took a lunch break, and Kate showed Alexis a photo album from her younger days. They laughed over some of the bad outfits and worse haircuts. Kate made Alexis promise never to tell her father about the existence of the pictures.

When Rick arrived, it was in a van he had requested from the car service. He brought the boxes downstairs and had them loaded up. He sent Alexis back to the loft with the load, and he and Kate surveyed what remained. They started with the kitchen gadgets. There were a few that he didn't have, but not many. The items that were deemed unnecessary went into the donation pile.

As the pile grew, Kate was aware of a strange feeling. Trying to blend two lives was challenge enough when the house was "neutral territory". But moving in where someone was already established? Where that someone had done well enough for himself to have, not to put too fine a point on it, better "stuff". It meant that the majority of her things would not find a home in her new dwelling. So they would be donated. If she were less secure about the relationship, they would go to storage. That's when she was able to pinpoint the feeling. It was amazement that she was so secure about the new life she was entering, that she didn't think twice about leaving the old one behind.

Next they talked about the furniture. She wanted to keep her desk, and he agreed that they could find a corner for it in the living room. There was a comfy chair that she enjoyed reading in, and they decided it could go up in the bedroom across from the love seat, so she could make use of the light from the window.

Rick had a great idea about the bedroom furniture. "What if we use this set to replace the pieces in the guest room at the Hamptons house?" Kate agreed that it was a good plan. They made arrangements with a moving company. Once Rick gave his name, they were more than happy to accommodate for the complicated instructions. To simplify things, they put different colored stickers on the furniture. Pink for the loft, blue for the Hamptons house, and yellow for donation to charity.

Declaring that they had done a good day's work, Kate offered to take him out to dinner to celebrate the completion of the second novel. She went in and got changed into one of the few outfits that she had held out from the packing effort. They went to a steak house and enjoyed dinner. They toasted to the final chapter of Naked Heat.

They decided to schedule the move for the last weekend in August, and then spend Labor day weekend out in the Hamptons. It seemed fitting, they had welcomed the summer there together, why not give it a send-off there too?

The day of the move dawned sunny and bright. Kate had wanted to spend the final night in her own apartment, in her own bed, alone. She knew that would sound odd to some people, especially since she had only had this apartment for a few months, her previous one having been ravaged by an explosion. It wasn't like it was the night before their wedding, but it was definitely a transition to a new phase of their relationship, and it was new to her, no longer having space that was hers and hers alone. Rick had said he understood.

She opened her eyes and stretched, then rose out of bed, padded to the kitchen and flipped on the coffee maker. She returned to her bedroom and went through a stretch sequence, followed by some yoga poses, before dressing in jeans and an old NYPD t-shirt. Pulling her hair into a pony tail, she went back into the kitchen and poured herself some coffee. She inhaled the delightful scent and took a sip, then turned to survey the apartment and formulate a plan.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Crossing to answer it she found Rick holding a box of doughnuts and bouncing on his heels. Beside him stood an equally bouncy Alexis. Kate regarded them with a rueful smile. "I am going to have to start setting limits on morning sugar intake for the both of you." She edged the box open with her finger and noted that the dozen was incomplete. "Just as I suspected." Father and daughter looked at each other guiltily.

"C'mon, honey, if you are going to put us to work, we need energy." Rick gave her his best charming smile in the hopes she would buy the rationalization. Kate merely rolled her eyes at them and helped herself to a doughnut before stepping aside and granting them access. She polished it off and was licking the honey glaze from her fingers when she noticed Castle staring at her. His eyes followed her fingers up to her mouth, his lips slightly parted. She glanced over at Alexis and, satisfied that the teen was absorbed with poking under her kitchen sink for cleaning supplies, stuck one honeyed finger all the way in her mouth before withdrawing it slowly, her gaze locked on his. When her peripheral vision caught Alexis starting to turn around, she quickly grabbed a napkin to finish cleaning her hands. The disappointment in his face made her chuckle.

Realizing he hadn't greeted her properly, he crossed to her and folded her in a hug, whispering in her ear "I missed you like crazy last night."

She was about to respond when Alexis announced that the moving truck had arrived. She merely winked at him.

The next two hours were a flurry of activity, burly moving men struggling to get the furniture into the truck, Castle building cardboard boxes for the last of Kate's things, Alexis cleaning as sections of wall and flooring were revealed, and in the middle of it all, Kate, packing the remaining bits of her life for transport to the loft. When the very last item was carted downstairs, Rick made a shoo-ing motion to Alexis. The teen discretely backed into the hall. Rick came up behind Kate, his footsteps echoing slightly through the bare room. He put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "Ready to go home?" he asked. She nodded, and allowed him to take her by the hand and lead her out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Over the next few days, Kate devoted her off-duty hours to settling in. True to his word, Rick had made space for her desk, and she unpacked the boxes associated with it.

She unwrapped her service award and the framed thank-you letter from the mother of a victim for whom she had found justice. These she hung beside the apartment door, so that she could brush them with her fingertips as she left, the ritual giving her strength. Each had equal value in her eyes. The award was nice validation of her efforts, but the letter served as a treasured reminder of why she wore the shield every day.

There were various knick-knacks that she placed on bookshelves. She added a comfy crocheted afghan to the back of the couch. The kitchen stuff was easy to integrate. Her coffee maker went into a high cabinet, for emergency use. Up in the bathroom, her toiletries were lined up on the opposite edge of the sink from his, like soldiers on the brink of a skirmish. She rolled her eyes when she realized his army nearly outflanked hers. He really WAS metrosexual.

From the night Rick had given her the key, he'd considered it her home as well as his, so whenever he saw her moving toward her stack of boxes, he retreated to his office. He didn't want her to think for one second that she needed his permission or supervision. He kept the door open, and while most of his brain was occupied with outlining the next Nikki Heat novel, he kept one ear tuned to the sounds of the loft. He absently noted footfalls on the stairs, doors opening and closing, plastic tape being torn away from cardboard, hammering… wait…hammering? Curiosity ate at him, but he made himself sit tight. Finally it dawned on him that he hadn't heard any sounds for a while. He glanced at the clock on the computer and it was…oh wow… late. He looked up and was startled to find Kate standing in the doorway watching him.

"All finished unpacking?" She nodded. "How long have you been standing there?" he asked with a smile.

"Just a few minutes. Apparently your train of thought really carried you away. And here I thought I would give you a taste of your own medicine, see if you found it creepy when I stared at you."

He smiled wider. "See, the difference there is I get stared at all the time. The price of fame. I've learned to tune it out. When I don't feel like basking in being the center of attention, that is," he finished outrageously.

"Which, I'm guessing, is not that often." She rolled her eyes at him, but moved into the room and came around the desk. He pulled her into his lap. Looking down at him, she fixed him with a mock-stern glare. "Just remember, you are spoken for now, so any time you find yourself on the receiving end of a 'come hither' stare, recite these words to yourself: 'jealous fiancé with a licensed firearm', because neither I nor the captain wants that much paperwork."

Rick pulled her down for a kiss. "Don't worry, honey, I've worked too hard to get us here to screw it up now."

"Yes, I love you too," she replied. "Now why don't we turn in?"

"You go on up, you can have the bathroom first. I'll be along in a couple of minutes."

She agreed and he could hear her ascending the stairs. He saved his file and closed the laptop, then wandered out into the living room. He scanned the apartment, noting the additions she had made, little "Beckett" flavored touches here and there. It took less than 30 seconds for his writer's eye for detail to catch the new frames over by the door. That explained what the hammering had been about. He crossed to examine them more closely. He wasn't sure why he had never noticed them in her old apartment, but then he had been pre-occupied with the psycho-stalker at the time.

He silently read the letter and then the award. His chest swelled a little with pride for her. He surveyed the room once more, and grinned. She had made herself at home, just as he had prayed she would one day feel comfortable enough to do. The threads of her life had been woven into the tapestry of his, making a picture of breathtaking beauty. He sighed contentedly and crossed to the staircase, flipping the light switch as he passed it, cloaking the downstairs in darkness, save for the glow of various electronics.

Entering the bathroom, he readied for bed, before joining Kate under the sheet. They settled into a cuddle. "You know, I was thinking, Mother will be coming back to town tomorrow. We should invite her and Chet out to the Hamptons with us. As a matter of fact, why don't we invite a few more people for Saturday night, make it an engagement party?" He suggested this casually, carefully concealing the fact that he had been making arrangements for days.

"Sure…" Kate yawned "I think that would be fun."

He was faintly surprised but very relieved at how easily she had agreed. He'd have to remember to conduct more negotiations at bedtime. "Good. I'll take care of everything. You just worry about packing and making sure you have the weekend OFF." Here again, his covert dealings would pan out, as he had already squared it with Roy.

Sure enough, when Kate exited the captain's office the next morning, it was with his assurance that someone else was on the duty roster all weekend. She had even invited him to come out to the house for the party, but he was non-committal.

Later that evening, she went home to find the table set for four. Entering the kitchen she found Rick and Alexis busy making dinner preparations. "Hi Kate! Gram is coming over for dinner!"

"Yes, and she actually called, rather than showing up unannounced. Either Chet or those summer stock people are having a good influence on her."

"Or she's trying to make sure we have our space." Kate countered.

Rick shrugged. "Why don't you go sit and relax for a bit. Dinner won't be for about an hour."

"Can't I help?" she offered.

"Thanks, but we have it under control here." He and Alexis exchanged glances and simultaneously lowered their goggles.

Kate stretched out on the couch and closed her eyes for a few minutes. At least she thought it was a few minutes. She heard the front door opening, followed by a boisterous "Hello Darlings!". She sat up and looked at her father's watch. More than 45 minutes had elapsed. It certainly was nice to have extra time to relax. She could get used to it.

She rose from the couch and greeted Martha. "Kate, dear! Allow me to offer my congratulations in person, although I don't know what you're thinking, agreeing to marry my son. I thought you were a smart girl."

"Thank you, Mother. Still trying to keep me humble?"

"Humble? Don't be ridiculous, dear, when have you ever been humble? At this point all we can hope for is 'less obnoxious'."

Kate chuckled at the good-natured banter. "Don't you worry, Martha," she said in a conspiratorial stage whisper. "All I've done since I met him was try to take him down a peg or two. By now I've got it down to a science.

Over dinner Martha told them all about her summer performances. Kate listened and even managed a few questions, despite the fact that Castle was playing footsy with her under the table. At one point she shot him a glare, but he looked completely unrepentant. She even tried kicking him, but he was undeterred.

When Alexis and Martha started chatting about the Princeton program, Kate excused herself to the kitchen to replenish the serving dishes. She made a show of trying to handle too many bowls at once, so that Martha piped up "For heaven's sake, Richard, help her, would you? Just because she's agreed to marry you, that doesn't mean she's going to start waiting on you hand and foot."

Castle opened his mouth to protest his mother telling him what to do in his own home, but he stole a glance at his daughter and then at Kate standing there with her hands full, then back to his mother, still waiting. He realized he was badly outnumbered, and scrambled to obey.

Once in the kitchen, Kate wheeled on him. "Would you please knock it off?" she snapped.

"Knock WHAT off? Surely you can't blame me for following you. This time *I* am under orders."

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. I meant your under-the-table shenanigans. It's not fair trying to get me flustered in front of your mother and Alexis."

"Oh, but I thought you had… 'handling me'… down to a science," he said, with a look that was designed to try and make her blush. Before she could point out that he was misquoting her, he continued. "Oh wait, that's just my wishful thinking for later."

Kate resigned herself to the fact that the more she tried to correct his behavior, the more he would act up. It was their game. Realizing they would be missed soon, she simply refilled the bowls, handed two to him and headed back to the dining room.

They all talked about the upcoming weekend in the Hamptons. Kate, Rick, Alexis and her guest Paige would take the car service out on Friday afternoon. Martha and Chet would follow at their convenience.

After dinner they played cards for a while, before Martha bade them farewell. Alexis turned in not long after, claiming she wanted to get up early to go school supply shopping. Kate and Rick cleaned up from dinner, then he took her by the hand to lead her up to bed. Halfway up the stairs she stopped short, pulling her hand free. When he gave her a questioning look, she simply said "I just want to…make sure my phone is on the charger."

Rick shrugged and continued up the stairs. He changed for bed, then set up the CD player with several disks featuring soft romantic music. As he hit 'Play' he noted the strengthening scent of cherries in the room, telling him that Kate was near, though he hadn't heard her come up. He smirked with anticipation. The fact that she'd made a bee-line for him rather than going into the bathroom to wash up first told him she was eager to be with him. As if reading his thoughts, he felt her hand on his bare back. She traced a finger down his spine, then lower to his boxers. Her left hand traced the waistband of the shorts around to the front. He could feel her breasts pressing up against his back. The hand grasping the waistband pulled it outward, and her right hand came into view. He felt himself tighten, the anticipation building, and the right hand dipped into his shorts to grasp him. The sensation that followed was NOT what he expected.

"YAHHHHH" he cried. Her hand was _freezing_. Because she was hugging him from behind, he couldn't pull away from her, which was his first instinct. His brain had been bathing in hormones, so, much like a car engine flooded with gas, it refused to kick over at the first attempt. The shock of the cold pulled the plug on the bath, so he finally had the presence of mind to grab her wrist and pull it away.

He stepped away from her and spun around. "What the…." He stopped as she grinned victoriously.

"I thought you were fantasizing about my 'handling' you? I granted your wish, what's the problem?" she asked playfully.

He gave her a rueful grin, acknowledging her 'gotcha last'. "Ok, you win this round. How'd you get your hand so cold, anyway?"

She went back to the doorway and bent to retrieve a pint of ice cream and two spoons. "Just held onto this for a while. And the bonus to the plan is if you'd gotten really mad at me, I had dessert at the ready to appease you.

He looked mildly insulted at first. "Oh what, like I'm some kid you can buy off with an ice cream cone?"

"How many times have I accused you of being 12?"

He considered that, and the ice cream in her hand. His eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Of course, you said 'dessert', which has more than one connotation. I see spoons, but no bowls. What were you planning on serving the ice cream…on?" he finished, his eyes traveling down her body.

"Oh no. No, no, no."

"Oh yes, I think so. I think I'm…warming up…to the idea." His voice had grown deeper and a bit breathy. He advanced on her. "Now, Kate, think about the possibilities.

"I am. I am thinking frostbite inside my bra will be damned uncomfortable."

He advanced on her. "Don't be silly. I'd lick it off before it got the chance. Sounds like a win-win to me…"

"Messy"

"Shower. Another win-win" He took another few steps, wresting the round carton from her hand. She told herself he had done that so easily because condensation had made the waxed cardboard slippery.

By now the ice cream had softened. Rick pulled the lid off and dipped his finger in, then licked it off. "Mmmmmm cherry chocolate, my favorite!" He took another swipe, then pressed forward toward Kate. He made sure her eyes were on his hand, not her surroundings, so she didn't realize until too late that he had backed her right up to the bed. He put the container down on the bedside table, and grasped her wrist. His fingers were cool against the back of her hand. He traced a design in her palm with his ice-creamy finger. He offered the finger up to her mouth, but her look said she might bite him. He shrugged, painted her lips with his finger like lipstick, then kissed her thoroughly to clean it off.

When he drew back she was smiling, just a little. He bent to turn his attention to her palm, his tongue slowly following the design he had drawn. When he had finished he straightened and looked into her eyes. He was very pleased to discover they were widening with arousal. His mouth curved into a smirk. This time when he dipped his finger into the container and offered it to her, she accepted. He sucked in a breath as she licked the ice cream off his finger. He took another swipe and traced her jaw line. She swayed on her feet, then dropped to the bed. He followed her down, kissing along her jaw up to her earlobe. He undressed her and they spent the next half hour decorating one another and licking it off, before making love. They showered together and then went to bed, still giggling about their evening.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Things were slow enough that Kate was able to take a half day on Friday. She had packed the night before, so she called Rick to grab her luggage and pick her up at the precinct. When the limo arrived, Kate got in beside Rick. Alexis and Paige were giggling and gossiping about the upcoming school year, and watching videos on their phones. Kate slipped her arm through Rick's and took his hand. She settled against him and let the tension of the week drain from her. She actually dozed for a while. When she woke, they chatted quietly. They arrived at the house about an hour later, and Alexis and her friend hurried upstairs to unpack and get into their bathing suits. They weren't about to waste any beach time.

This time, Kate and Rick went to "his" room. Kate tested the connector door and found it locked. "Since we are actually going to have guests in the guest room tomorrow night, shouldn't we consider a lock for this side of the door?"

"But what if someone wants to visit us?" he asked with a naughty grin.

"Trust me, honey, the ONLY place you're gonna get THAT is in your dreams. And yes, I know" she hurried to continue, placing a finger on his lips when he opened his mouth to respond. "You had beloved fantasies of me joining you and your flavor of the month. Or was it week?"

"Ouch! Did I really strike you as being that promiscuous? Anyway, the operative word there was HAD. As in _past tense_. Besides, the people who would be staying over are our friends, and none of them is going to invade our privacy like that."

Kate conceded his point. She went out into the hall and down to the aforementioned guest room to inspect the placement of the furniture. Rick had arranged it with the caretaker to meet the movers and show them up to the room. She nodded, satisfied with where the pieces had been placed. She studied the connector door, contemplating once more whether some sort of notice was necessary to let the occupant of this room know what was on the other side. She decided that she would just point out the closet and the bathroom down the hall to whomever stayed here. That should alleviate any confusion. An odd but not unpleasant little feeling rose up in her when she realized she had donned the mantle of "lady of the house". Much like trying on a new dress in a changing room, she studied herself in the mental mirror, deciding that although the "fabric" felt foreign to her, she could become accustomed to it, even enjoy the feeling.

They opted for simple barbecue for dinner. Martha and Chet arrived around 9 that night, in time for cocktails on the patio. Alexis and Paige had disappeared up to her room. The four adults sat in a semi-circle. Chet broke the silence. "So, allow me to congratulate you two! Have you set a date yet?"

Kate and Rick exchanged glances. This had been the topic of conversation a few times, but they hadn't really gotten anywhere. Rick spoke first. "The when depends largely on the where, and Kate and I are still hammering that part out. I'm trying to talk her into a destination wedding, but so far she's a hard sell. I've tried pointing out that it would be a good excuse to keep things small and intimate, and the further away we go, the harder a time the press will have finding us."

"Sounds reasonable, dear, what's the problem?" Martha asked.

Kate smiled. "He's conveniently not telling you _where._ We are NOT dragging our friends and family to Scotland!"

Rick pouted. "I keep telling her, with my last name, we just HAVE to get married in a castle. Edinburgh is gorgeous!"

"Sometimes, but most of the time it's foggy and miserable, and as much influence as you think you have, you still don't 'know someone' in charge of weather. That would be Mother Nature."

Martha and Chet chuckled at their playful bickering. "Not to worry, darling, you have time. You've only been engaged for a month."

The next morning after breakfast, Rick suggested that she go into town with Martha and the girls.

"You could visit the salon, do a little shopping, on me.…"

Kate furrowed her brow and looked at him. "Sounds like a girls' day." He nodded, pleased with himself.

"What would possess you to think I am the 'girls day' type?" she demanded.

"Who is to say you have to be the same 'type' your whole life?" he countered.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there something wrong with the 'type' I am now? This is the 'type' you proposed to, after all," she reminded him, her spine ramrod straight.

Rick took in her expression and could hear warning bells going off in his head. Loudly. This conversation was spinning out, and he'd better get it back under control _fast. _He weighed his options. Pure honesty would blow the surprise. However, she had ascended the ladder of her career largely because of her ability to ferret out lies. "Kate…" he began carefully.

"You also said 'on you'. I don't think I could…" she cut him off.

"Mother and Alexis would be more than happy to teach you how to spend my money. They're good at it. Not as good as my ex-wives, but…" He brightened. "Anyway, we are engaged now, which is a promise of marriage. Under marital rules, what's mine is yours. Think of this as practice."

"You know damn well I'm not marrying you for your money," she snapped, turning to stare out the sliders at the waves.

Crap, he was just digging himself deeper, wasn't he? He sighed heavily. "Ok, please tell me this," he begged. "How does my wanting to do something nice for you lead us to a fight?" There. He spoke truth and she didn't even know it.

She slowly turned, her eyes slightly glassy with unshed tears. He moved toward her, placing his hands on her shoulders. She looked at his face, at the relieved expression that she was letting him into her personal space. She shook her head and smiled. "It's ridiculous, I know, but I think it's nerves. You've got to be patient with me. After all, you've done this twice already."

He kissed her on the forehead. " Kate, don't you think that fact makes me nervous, too? With two marriages down the tubes, I want SO desperately to get this one right."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Her voice was muffled by his shirt. "I didn't think of that."

"So we're ok?" he asked. She nodded. "And you'll go?"

She nodded again. "Yes, and thank you."

Rick cast a glance to the heavens with a silent prayer of thanks.

"Wait, what about Chet?" Kate asked.

"Eh maybe I'll take him golfing. I should get to know him better, find out if his intentions toward my mother are honorable." He smirked at this role reversal, but he always felt a tad guilty that he hadn't seen the proverbial writing on the wall in time to protect his mother from the last con artist.

He gently pushed her away from him. "Okay, woman, here are the keys to the Jag. Get going." He swatted her on the fanny as she left.

As soon as the champagne colored Jaguar rolled down the driveway, Rick rubbed his hands together and pulled out his phone. He called the caterer and the florist to make final arrangements. The truck bearing the rented tables, chairs and linens arrived moments later, and the caretaker materialized to direct the set-up.

Hours later a freshly coiffed and manicured Kate passed a floral delivery van as she pulled into the driveway. She popped the trunk and Martha and the girls sorted their parcels, then headed into the house. Kate grabbed the bag holding her new dress and followed. She went upstairs to hang the dress in the closet, then back down to seek out Rick. She noted the various floral arrangements as she passed through the house.

She finally found him on the patio, deep in conversation with a woman wearing a maroon apron with "Silver Platter" embroidered on it. The woman, "Celia" according to her nametag, glanced at her as she approached. Rick turned to follow her glance. His expression alternately flashed alarm and guilt when he saw Kate. He turned back to finish the conversation, then excused himself. "You're back!" he said brightly, stating the obvious. "You look pretty. Did you have a good time?" he asked, clearly stalling.

"Better than the time I'm having now…what exactly is going on here?" Belatedly she took in the round tables, the chairs, and was that _a buffet_ they were setting up?

"We talked about this the other night. Engagement party?"

"You said 'a few more people'. These arrangements are for more than a few." Kate's expression was perilously close to angry. Time to turn on the charm.

"So I might have gotten a bit carried away. It's actually your fault, you know," he said smugly.

"MY fault? How could any of this be my fault?" she asked, incredulous.

"Well if you hadn't made me the happiest man in the state of New York, if not the Tri-State area, by agreeing to marry me, then I wouldn't have been forced to arrange this affair so that we can celebrate with our friends."

"So….the whole girly day thing, that was just a ruse to get me out of the way." It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, partly. I did want to give you a nice day."

"And Martha and Alexis, they were co-conspirators to that little charade?"

He gasped. "Would I corrupt my daughter by making her an accomplice to something so nefarious?" he asked, pressing a hand to his chest.

Kate was unmoved. "Considering you've done it before, yes, in a heartbeat."

"Ok, you're right about that. But not Mother. She couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it." He grumbled this last part.

Kate eyed him, debating. "You realize I should be angry with you. You know I'm not one for a big fuss, and I certainly don't like being misled."

He nodded, knowing he'd already won, given her use of "should be", but wisely concealing his glee.

"However, your motives were pure, which is a word I wouldn't normally associate with you."

"So I'm forgiven. Again. You know, if you spent less energy getting mad at me and just went with it…You'd be able to use that energy later…" he finished suggestively.

She ignored that. "I'm sure you are going to view this as a challenge, but you should know, as time goes on I'm going to be harder to surprise. Trained detective and all."

"I'm up for it. I think you underestimate me. Now, why don't you go and get changed into whatever new outfit you bought today. Our guests should be arriving very soon."

"How do you know the outfit's not for later tonight?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I doubt you'd do _that_ sort of shopping with my mother and my teenaged daughter in tow."

She conceded his point and headed upstairs to get changed. She'd gone for comfortable yet stylish with a knee-length skirt in a jade green with a delicate floral print, topped by a modest sleeveless V neck. She hung the chain with her mother's ring around her neck and finished off the outfit with strappy sandals.

She was just about to head downstairs when Rick entered the room. He smiled appreciatively. "There's my beautiful hostess." He opened the closet and pulled out a pair of light weight tan slacks and a black short sleeved button down. As he finished getting changed he glanced out the window. "Looks like our guests are arriving. Shall we?"

Kate nodded and accepted the hand he offered. Inside she shivered a little with excitement. Hosting their first party as a couple. Who'd have thought?


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

They descended the stairs hand-in-hand, Rick leading the way. He opened the door to find their first guest poised with her slim finger on the doorbell. "Well hello, Dr. Parish" he intoned smoothly, playing at formality. He bent to kiss Lanie on the cheek, then stepped backward swiftly, lest he be caught in the maelstrom of feminine hugging.

Alexis and Martha had appeared out of nowhere, dressed, he assumed, in their acquisitions from the day's shopping trip. Lanie was Kate's best friend, so if Kate was soon to be family, so was Lanie. Rick cleared his throat, trying not to look put-out at being relegated to the sidelines. "Alexis, why don't you and Gram take Lanie out and show her the beach?"

Moments later Ryan and Jenny were approaching, followed by Esposito. Kate welcomed them, even offering uncharacteristic hugs to her "boys", who then traded manly back-claps with Rick. The trio proceeded through the house to the patio.

The next figure to cross the threshold looked uncertain but openly curious, taking in every detail. When Kate caught sight of him, she stepped forward, right into the arms she had known since her earliest memory. When she greeted him, her voice overflowed with warmth. "Hi Dad."

Rick hung back respectfully, recognizing the importance of the father-daughter bond. When the pair separated, he stepped forward. He started to speak, but found that nerves had temporarily short-circuited his voice box. After all, neither his accomplishments nor his notoriety would matter to this man. They no longer lived in the era where a father sought assurance that his daughter would be "provided for". Kate was a modern woman who was making her own way quite well. All that mattered was whether she would be treated with respect, like the treasure she was. He cleared his throat and offered his hand. "Sir." One syllable, but it spoke volumes.

Jim Beckett sized up the man that his Katie had told him about. Early on she groused about him, 'arrogant, immature, infuriating' but over time she had added 'insightful' then 'sweet'. Naturally she had called him on her way home the night of the mayor's ball to tell of her engagement, and he'd seen the pictures in the paper. The photos were just a bit too grainy for him to see Rick's eyes, but he could tell now, the way Castle looked at Katie, the author would move heaven and earth for her. And really, what more could a father want for his daughter? "Rick, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He motioned to the over-nighter he was carrying. "Where should I…?"

Rick jumped guiltily with belated attention to his hosting duties. "Please, let me get that. Why don't you stay in the guest room tonight, this way we can get better acquainted tomorrow?"

Jim nodded with a smile of thanks and followed Rick upstairs. Kate watched them go, listening to the small talk fading as they disappeared around the corner. Boisterous voices dragged her attention back to the foyer. The infamous writer trio had arrived, having evidently shared a cab from the airport again.

This time Kate was able to find her words easily as she greeted them. "Gentlemen, always a pleasure."

Each in turn they greeted her. Cannell kissed her cheek, Connolly kissed her hand, and Patterson, well he just hugged her. "Now before Ricky comes back, we need to know…" Cannell regarded her gravely. "You didn't say yes because you lost a poker hand, did you?" They all burst out laughing, and that's how Rick found them when he came back down the stairs.

"Hey, guys, did I miss a good joke?" he queried. Kate looked at him, then back to the trio, and giggled again."

Cannell clapped him on the shoulder. "Ah, Ricky. Congratulations!" he said, evading the question. Looking confused, Rick led his friends out to the patio and made sure they had drinks, before returning to Kate's side to welcome Captain Montgomery and his wife. When Kate said "Glad you could make it after all, sir!", the captain smiled at her, but winked at Castle, making her wonder briefly just how intricate his scheming had been.

There were other guests, neighbors, even Paula and a handful of other people from Rick's business life.

Finally Rick and Kate made their way into the throng of the party. After a few minutes, he excused himself to mingle. Kate sought out Lanie. She found the petite M.E. on the patio, absorbed in conversation with Patterson, and she looked like she couldn't believe it. At a convenient pause, she interjected and stole Lanie away.

"Girl, this is unbelievable. Do you KNOW who I was just talking to?"

"Yes, Lanie, of course I do. He's quite the charmer, but you have to watch out, he bluffs like nobody's business." Lanie's jaw dropped, but Kate continued. "SPEAKING of bluffing….I never did get the chance to talk to you about your part in the whole Mayor's ball thing."

Lanie smirked up at her. "Writer boy called me, asked me to set things up with Brad. Once I got the details, wild horses couldn't have kept me away. I am only slightly ashamed to admit that the price of my silence was a miniature version of the cappuccino machine for my office."

Kate shook her head good naturedly and walked away, chatting with various guests before venturing to the buffet. She selected a lobster tail, some fragrant rice, and some cauliflower au gratin, before turning to scan the crowd for her fiancée. It was still bizarre to think of him in those terms.

She found him at one of the tables, and noted that the empty seat beside him had a place card, though no other cards were evident. "Reserved for the future Mrs. Castle", done in block printing she recognized as his. He gave her a wink as she sat. As they ate she looked around again. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, she thought with satisfaction.

She caught motion out of the corner of her eye and realized Rick was standing up. At first she assumed he was after a refill of food or drink. Until… She read the intention on his face but was helpless to do a thing about it without making a major scene. He tried clinking his glass, but the wind off the ocean carried the sound away with it. So he settled for raising his voice: "EXCUSE ME, MAY I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTION, PLEASE?" The customary din of party chatter dwindled away to nothing. All eyes were on him.

Kate desperately wanted to bury her head in her hands, or perhaps in the sand at their backs.

Rick glanced down and could see the blush rising up the side of her face, but continued regardless. "I just wanted to thank you all for joining us tonight, and to make a toast to Kate Beckett, a very special woman who has agreed to make my life complete." His toast was met with a round of applause. He sat down and clinked his glass to hers, but before he took a sip he scrutinized the tumbler.

"Something wrong?' she asked.

"Don't know. I'm trying to figure out if there's any way you could have poisoned me…" he said with a wink.

"Believe me, if there were, I'd have done it long before now…" she replied sweetly.

The party wound down as the evening progressed. The catering company cleaned up efficiently, stacking everything in preparation for the rental company to pick it up the next morning. Kate had to admit, she could get used to being relieved of the major work of dealing with the aftermath of a party. Some of their guests were headed back to the city that night, some had taken rooms in local hotels.

Finally it was down to Jim, Martha and Chet, Alexis and Paige, and Rick and Kate. Alexis ran up to Rick with her best begging face on. "Dad, remember what you promised?" she reminded him, indicating the copper fireplace.

He tried to put on his refusal face, but found he didn't really have one when it came to his daughter, not that she ever asked for anything unreasonable. He smiled. "Ok, pumpkin, but you have to go get the makings for smores from the kitchen." She ran off to do his bidding. He built a small bonfire, and they sat around, enjoying the sweet treats and sharing stories.

"Katie's mom and I used to take her camping in the Adirondacks. Roasting marshmallows was her favorite part." Jim reminisced. Rick quickly but subtly glanced at his bride-to-be. The mention of Johanna produced a shadow in Kate's eyes that the fire could not be responsible for. He used the ruse of handing her the marshmallow fork to squeeze her hand in a fleeting gesture of comfort.

Since Rick had been busy supervising the party set-up, he never get to take Chet golfing that day. Inspiration struck, and he invited Chet and Jim to go the next day. He saw it as an opportunity to wheedle better 'Katie' stories out of Jim in private.

After accepting, Chet gallantly offered a hand to help Martha out of her chair and escorted her to their room. Jim headed up to his room next, followed by Alexis and Paige. Rick stood, but rather than making preparations to turn in, he moved his wide chaise lounge so that it was facing away from the house. He came to stand before Kate, gesturing toward the relocated chair. "Care to join me?" he asked.

"I'm ok here."

Rick pouted. "Ok, I don't think that chair is big enough for both of us, but I will try."

"What are you doing?" she asked, as he did indeed try to climb into the chair with her.

"Trying to get in some cuddle time. With your father in the guest room, I know nothing's happening in our room tonight, so I thought we would take advantage of the privacy out here."

Put that way, Kate didn't disagree, so she got up and let him lead her to his chair, where they sat side by side, watching the dancing flames. With his arm around her shoulder, he nibbled her ear, then her neck, before bringing her head around to meet his kiss. As the fire died, their ardor grew. Kate pulled back to come up for air, but when Rick leaned in to continue, she resisted. His eyes searched her face in the dim light. "What is it?" he asked softly, concern etching two lines just above his nose.

Refusing to answer, she stood, motioning him to do the same. Even more confused, he got up, and she bent to grasp the lounge cushion by the corners. She marched down to the sand and plopped the cushion down, then lay down on it. Casting a glance toward the house, Rick undid the few buttons on his shirt that were still closed up, shucked his pants, and then lay down beside her.

Between kisses he murmured in her ear. "You looked so beautiful tonight. I'm very glad you didn't kill me for…expanding…the party, or for the toast. Although with everyone here anyway, you could have had a very nice wake to honor me…" he finished with typical Castle hubris.

Kate laughed despite herself, but she punched him in the arm anyway, because the gesture was expected. She lost herself in his loving, and he in hers. An hour or so later they dressed and made their way back into the house, slipping upstairs and into their room with the stealth of prowlers.

When they awoke the next morning, they set out the bagels, spreads and fruit that Rick had requested from the caterer. After Chet and Jim looked sufficiently alert, Rick spirited the two older men out to the golf course. Martha and Kate spent the morning companionably on the beach, watching Alexis and Paige watching boys.

The three men returned just after lunch, having evidently bonded enough over the course to continue by eating in the club house. Kate and Jim went for a walk on the beach to talk. Inevitably the conversation turned to the crazy-making man in her life. "He makes you happy, doesn't he, Katie?"

"Yeah, Dad, though he does drive me nuts sometimes."

"He's a good man, I think he just tries too hard sometimes. I have no doubt that he loves you with every fiber of his being." Jim gave her a sideways hug, and the two circled back to the beach house. After dinner, he packed up his bag and made his exit.

On Monday Rick took everyone for breakfast at the same little place he had taken Kate during their first weekend together, then took a cruise on the yacht. When they returned, it was time to close up the house and head back into the city.

Martha and Chet left first, and moments later the car service arrived to transport Rick, Kate and the girls. Once he was satisfied that Alexis and Paige were sound asleep, Rick turned to Kate.

"I have something to ask you," he stated in hushed tones.

Unaccustomed to the seriousness in his face, Kate stared at first, then smiled and said "You already proposed, remember?"

He smiled briefly, then got serious again. "No, I realize this is a misuse of the system, but I'd like you to run a background check on Chet."

"WHAT are you talking about? Your mother has known him since practically before he HAD a background!"

"Not really, he popped up after all these years, who _knows_ what the guy has been doing in the mean time."

"Did you learn nothing about minding your business from when Alexis lit into you for calling Juliard to check out her violin teacher? Or from me, for that matter, from when…well you know. Anyway, Martha's an adult, capable of using her own sound judgment."

"Didn't help her last time," he muttered sourly.

Kate softened at that. "Ok I suppose I could run a basic check, off the clock. But you owe me."

Castle's eyes lit up. "And I will reimburse you with whatever you desire…." He leaned in for a kiss, but then remembered where he was, and more importantly, the fact that they weren't alone. His hand reached for hers.

They rode the rest of the way home in contemplative, companionable silence.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Nearly a week had gone by since they had returned from the Hamptons. Angry looking dark grey clouds hung in the sky. A heavy thunderstorm had been predicted for that day, so up in the bedroom, Kate was putting fresh batteries in the flashlight she kept in her nightstand, in the event they lost power. She struggled with the packaging, grunting with effort and frustration. _'There's childproof and then there's ridiculous' _ she thought, and with a final savage yank the plastic surrendered. The batteries spilled onto the floor and rolled under the bed. _Far _under the bed from the sound of it.

She heaved a sigh. _Just great. _She dropped to her hands and knees and reached under the bed. She retrieved two, but the other two eluded her at first. She peered into the shadows and thought she saw them resting against a forgotten shoe on Rick's side of the bed. Grumbling, she got up and walked around to the other side, and again assumed a position best suited for groveling or prayer. She supposed she was, in a manner of speaking, because all morning she'd been asking whoever was 'up there' to make her day go more smoothly.

She reached under the bed and felt around for the batteries. She moved the shoe aside and her hand closed around…something familiar, but not the smooth cylinders that would power the flashlight. No, this was rectangular shaped, with the roughness of a fine crosshatching. Her palm was intimately familiar with this texture, but her brain was frantically trying to make sense of its presence here. She tightened her fingers around the grip of the gun ? and withdrew it from under the bed. Her alarm quickly transmuted to amusement and confusion. It was a purple water pistol. She was still contemplating it when she heard Rick's voice in the doorway.

"Kate, is everything OK up here? I thought you said you'd be right…." His words died as he spied the toy gun in her hand. She watched as an odd assortment of expressions paraded across his face. Each one was fleeting, but after her many years of conducting interrogations, playing 'name that emotion' was second nature to her. First there was alarm, then guilt and a touch of horror before his composure returned, accompanied by casual interest. "What's that?" he asked.

"I was going to ask you the same question," she replied, trying hard not to let suspicion at his weird behavior creep into her tone. She squirted a shot into her hand and gave an experimental sniff. It seemed to be plain water.

"Oh, I remember now. Alexis and I were having a water fight one night. I like to hide extra loaded guns around the house so that if I ever get pinned down where I can't get to a water source to reload, I go for one of my spares."

Kate processed this. Her instincts told her something felt off about the explanation, but when she searched his face she saw no subterfuge. "Okay" she said slowly. "But just be warned. You ever try and ambush ME, and I'm coming back at you locked and loaded with perfume."

"Perfume?" he asked.

"Yes. You'll either smell like a brothel for a couple of days, or you'll be spending a lot of time in the shower trying to get the scent off you. Either way, I figure you'll be out of my hair, because I doubt you're going to want to come to the station house and endure the questions from the boys" she finished with a knowing smirk. She bent down to look under the bed for the refugee batteries, and missed the relief washing over Rick's face. She got up with the two batteries in hand, then came around and loaded the flashlight.

"I'm going down to fill up some bottles with water, just in case," she told him, exiting the room.

Rick blew out the breath he'd been holding and slumped against the wall. He hoped he'd been able to reign in the horrified feeling fast enough that it hadn't shown on his face. Strictly speaking, he didn't really need to worry. It's not as though she found someone else's bra under there.

Not that that was a possibility. From the moment Kate had pulled him out of his "farewell" party and laid her soul bare to him, he hadn't so much as looked at another woman. Before, though, that was a different story.

He recalled those vigorous and playful sessions with Ellie Monroe. He probably should have suspected something, the way she came at him like a hell cat, that she had an ulterior motive. He hadn't really cared, though. She was a convenient distraction. The fact that she bore similarities to Kate had been a bonus, and though he would take this secret to his grave, he admitted to himself that when Ellie had bedded him, he let himself pretend it was really _her. _

He didn't really remember whether it had been his idea or Ellie's to role play like that. One too many glasses of wine had surely been the culprit. Being able to call her 'Nikki' had been the proverbial icing on the cake, enough so he'd blurted out the name of their suspect as his "role". If Kate EVER found out about that, let alone about the role playing thing, she'd have hit the roof. Over his stupidity, plain and simple. He went into the bathroom to empty out the gun, then shoved it into the back of the cabinet under the sink, the same way he shoved the memories to the far recesses of his mind.

He headed back downstairs to see if he could help Kate. From the moment the storm warning had been broadcast on TV, she'd been going non-stop. He wondered why it seemed she was preparing for the apocalypse, as opposed to a little rain and lightning.

He entered the kitchen to find she was still filling containers with water.

"Honey, I told you, we're on City water," he said patiently.

"So?" she answered. "There have to be pumps somewhere that run on electric, what if they go down?"

He grasped her by the shoulders so she met his gaze. "Kate. What's this about?"

"Nothing, I just prefer to be prepared."

"I think you're prepared enough for five storms. Let's go sit and watch a movie."

Reluctantly she agreed. He surveyed his collection, looking for something that didn't require serious mental effort. 'Twister?' No, _very_ bad idea. His eyes settled on the perfect choice.

They were halfway through 'Soapdish', cuddled on the couch under her crocheted afghan, rain lashing against the windows, when the lights flickered. Kate tensed beside him, and a few seconds later thunder rumbled in the distance. Moments later the lights dimmed again, but this time there was a loud clap. Kate pressed herself into his side. It was then that he understood her fears.

He smiled reassuringly and massaged the back of her neck. The next bolt of lightning must have taken out something critical, because the TV and the lamps went dark. There was silence, which made the accompanying thunder seem all the louder. It HAD been more intense, because it rattled the windows, which made him almost miss her whimper. He folded his arms around her and held her close. He was surprised that in all the time he'd worked with her, he'd never picked up on this. But then, she'd had walls up around a lot of her vulnerabilities. It had taken time and painstaking effort to get past them.

The movie had been working as a distraction, but now he'd have to figure out something else. He grinned mischievously, and started letting his hands wander over her body. She tensed again. Either she would surrender or she'd yell at him for his lousy timing. One way or the other, he reasoned, her mind would get respite from worrying about the storm. He got his answer when her hand wandered…right into his lap, where her caresses needed no interpretation.

Several hours later they were curled up in bed together in post-coital bliss. The eye of the storm had long since passed, and a delicate pitter-patter on the windowsill outside told them that the rain had abated significantly. Rick's fingertips were tracing circles on her bare shoulder as he spoke. "Did you have a chance to run that background check I asked you for?" he inquired casually.

Kate raised her head from its resting place on his shoulder to regard him. "I should have it tomorrow," she said, yawning. "But I still say you are worrying for nothing."

As Rick opened his mouth to respond, they heard the front door slam downstairs. "Dad? Kate? I'm home?"

"Be right down, pumpkin!" he called. He and Kate got dressed and went down to greet Alexis. She had been visiting with her friends, catching up on the events of the summer.

"So, how many wicked stepmother jokes did you get when you told your friends about Kate?" Rick asked, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Kate gasped and punched him in the arm. "Oh, I'll show you wicked."

The next day at lunch, Kate opened her bottom drawer and removed the file with the background check. She'd found it waiting on her desk when she came in that morning, and had stowed it for later perusal. Now she had time to review the report. She murmured to herself as she plucked out the details.

"Chester 'Chet' Palaburn…born November 19th, 1951…Graduated 1969 Laguardia High School of Music, president of his class. Enrolled in Fordham University Political Science program, but took a year off after tragic death of roommate in motor vehicle accident. Palaburn had been driving, icy conditions, no fault found."

She turned the page and found that photos of the accident had been included, along with photos of the man himself. 'Yeesh', she thought, 'looked like a nasty scene, he was lucky to walk away from it.'

High school picture, non-driver ID photo. She studied the picture of Chet in his younger days. There was a playful twinkle in his eye, almost like…she shook her head. Couldn't be. She needed lunch. That was it, her blood sugar was running low. She carried the file into the break room, where she continued reading while she zapped some leftovers. Chet had finished the Poly Sci program then moved to Chicago, where he'd worked in the city planner's office.

Nothing earth-shattering, no cause for alarm. She finished eating and looked at the photos again. It might be her imagination but….She filed the thoughts away in the back of her mind. She'd let her subconscious pick up the notions and toy with them a while before she made any decisions to act.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When she got home that night, Rick was already dressed to go. She breezed past him, lighting like a hummingbird for a quick kiss, before dashing up the stairs. "I'll be ready in 10" she called down.

True to her word, she reappeared ten minutes later, dressed in her yoga pants and a tunic. Rick looked at her, thinking she was beautiful whatever she wore. At the moment, though, what she was wearing was a cautious, skeptical look.

"You're _sure _you want to do this?" she asked him.

He scoffed. "Of course. I've done it before, you know that."

The 'this' they were referring to was Couples Yoga. Lanie and Esposito had evidently gone in together on a gift certificate for their engagement. The return on their investment, naturally, would be the host of opportunities there would be for ribbing the couple, or more specifically, Castle, about the experience.

Kate's skepticism did not abate. "I know you're able to spout tidbits about caffeine throwing off your Chi, but I maintain my theory that you only went to yoga to pick up women."

He gave her his best wounded look, but she seemed to be immune.

Rick and Kate took a cab to the yoga studio. Kate instantly relaxed as she crossed the doorway. There was soft music playing, of course, and the lights were dimmed. The incense burning at the front of the room gave off a lovely exotic scent. Special double width mats had been laid out. Kate strode to an empty spot, Rick in tow. Now that they were there his bravado seemed to have diminished a bit.

While they waited, Kate sat down and encouraged him to mirror her. She slowly folded her legs into a meditative Lotus pose. He followed suit with an ease and flexibility she hadn't given him credit for.

Before they got much further, though, an Indian woman rang a set of chimes to command the attention of the room. She introduced herself as Parita and gave them a quick summary of her background and what would be covered in the class. She beckoned to an unseen person, and all heads turned toward the doorway. A lithe man approached her. "This is Tushar, he will be my partner and help me demonstrate these exercises."

She nodded and the man turned his back to her. He lowered himself so that he was squatting, then leaned backward so that his back was braced against her thighs. He raised his arms and grasped her upper arms, and she, in turn, grasped his. She leaned backward as he straightened his legs. She continued leaning until his body was board-straight and parallel to the ground. They held this pose for a moment before she slowly straightened, lowering him to the floor.

Kate was in awe, but she had long ago developed the ability to display a demeanor of calm regardless of what she was actually feeling. In an interrogation you heard all sorts of shocking things, but it was better not to let the suspect know they surprised you. She employed this ability now as she glanced over at Castle. No need to alarm him by letting him think she wasn't taking it in stride. He had no such expression filter, except when a publicity obligation necessitated it. Now, good, old-fashioned flabbergasted was all over his face. Kate gave him a serene, reassuring smile and watched his Adam's apple bob repeatedly as he swallowed uncomfortably.

Parita surveyed the class and grinned. "You may all relax. The pose we have just demonstrated is extremely advanced. Such a thing will not be expected of you. It was merely an example of the things you might achieve with extensive practice." A collective sigh of relief went up.

Parita continued. "We will begin simply, with a side-by-side bow pose." She gestured to Tushar to demonstrate, while she circulated around the room.

Kate lay on her stomach, bent her legs at the knees, and reached back to grab her feet. She turned to see how Castle was doing. He was on his stomach alright, but as she watched, he rolled over to his side as he tried to reach back for his feet. She straightened and stood to help him. She saw his lips moving as he grumbled to himself, and she bent to hear what he was saying.

"Bow pose, my ass. Out west they call this hog tied." With her help he achieved the pose, but it certainly didn't look like he was relaxed.

Comparatively the next exercise was a piece of cake. They were encouraged to stand side by side and assume mirrored tree poses, and link arms for balance. Kate studied their reflection in the wall mirror. This was the embodiment of _them, _two halves of a whole.

They finished with something that should have been called 'missing chairs'. Parita and Tushar demonstrated by standing facing one another and grabbing one another's wrists, then lowering themselves until their thighs were parallel to the floor. It was fortunate that the instructors had the foresight to arrange the mats with adequate space in between them, because when Kate and Rick tried it, his larger mass pulled them off balance and they collapsed in a laughing heap. Tushar came over and showed him how to lean forward more to avoid that in the future.

As they were riding the elevator up to their apartment, Kate glanced over and found Castle wearing a smirk. "Alright, what?" she demanded, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Nothing….I was just thinking once this class is done, we can start working our way through the Kama Sutra."

* * *

Rick had invited Martha and Chet to join poker night. Although she normally handled herself well, luck was not on Kate's side this night. Tired of losing, she quit and moved to the side lines and stepped up to the role of gracious hostess. She got drink refills for everyone and cleared away the dirty glasses. When Rick started to get up to help her, she stilled him with a hand on his shoulder and "Relax, I've got this" whispered in his ear. He smiled warmly at her and then went back to studying his cards. Esposito had not missed this subtle exchange, and for a fleeting moment wondered if he had slipped into some bizarre alternate Stepford universe. Beckett was waiting on Castle, not to mention himself and Ryan, her subordinates?

After observing Chet all evening, Kate had made her decision. Back in the kitchen, she took Chet's glass and slipped it into a plastic zip-top bag. She stowed it in her purse, along with Rick's toothbrush. Obtaining that had been simple enough. She'd bought him one of the new gadget-y battery operated ones with a super hero on it. It never occurred to the Peter Pan within him to ask what became of the old one.

She offered a silent prayer that what she was going to do would not end in disaster.

* * *

The cell phone in Kate's pocket buzzed, signaling an incoming text, ID Lanie Parish "Got what you asked for, come and get it." Kate pocketed the phone and headed down to the morgue. She found Lanie dressed in blue scrubs, preparing a corpse for autopsy. The M.E. glanced up and motioned to a file sitting alone on the corner of the desk.

"I just want to go on record AGAIN as saying this was a bad idea." Lanie pinned her with a look.

"Why's that?"

"Girl, you _know_ why."

Kate waved aside the objection. She opened the file, glanced at the contents and whistled.

"You're positive about this?"

"You DOUBT me?" Before Kate could explain, Lanie continued. "Yes, I ran it twice, to be sure."

Now that she'd done it, she had some second thoughts, especially knowing Lanie didn't approve. Right now only the two of them knew, maybe it ought to stay that way. She could just put the report in a locked cabinet, or burn it, forget about it. She knew Lanie would never breathe a word…

She took the report, folded it in three and tucked it into her purse.

* * *

After dinner, they decided to work on the guest list for the wedding. After showing her a Travel Channel piece on Scotland, Rick had finally persuaded her that they should hold the ceremony at Edinburgh Castle. Their family and a few friends would come, stay for the weekend to enjoy the city, then head back to the states. Kate and Rick would spend their honeymoon hitting other European cities. Paula left daily voicemails pitching ways he could work publicity appearances into their travel schedule.

Since it would be an intimate affair, they would not be flanked by a large group of attendants. Kate had asked Lanie to stand with her, and naturally her father would give her away. Rick was actually toying with the idea of having Alexis beside him. There was no rule set in stone that the "best man" actually had to BE one. His daughter was, after all, his staunchest ally, and he was never one to worry about bucking convention. His musings were derailed when he noticed that Kate had gotten extremely quiet, and was biting at her lip with a vigor he'd rarely seen.

"Kate? What's bothering you?" he asked softly.

She was touched by the concern on his face. She took a deep breath and decided to jump in.

"What if…" she began carefully "your father could stand up with you?"

He started to laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, we don't even know who that is."

She stood and went into her purse, retrieving the folded report. She opened it and smoothed it out, placing it in front of him. "But what if we _did_?" she whispered.

His brow knitted with confusion as he read the report. What happened next, she could only think of it as the human version of a volcano erupting. He quaked for a moment, then came the eruption, loud and full of blistering heat. He stood up so fast he knocked his chair over.

"What the HELL? **YOU. HAD. NO. RIGHT!"** he exploded. "How did you even…? DNA test…? You'd have needed samples from me and _him_."

"_He_ has a name, honey. Chet."

She doubted he actually heard her. He was pacing now. "And you lectured ME about invading your privacy, digging around in your life. What the hell do you call this?"

"Yes, I lectured you because I specifically told you NOT to. I only kept this a secret because I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Oh yes, thank you" he said. He'd lowered the volume, but his tone was acidic.

Kate heard a creak on the stairs. Rick followed her gaze, squeezed his eyes closed, and swore under his breath. Alexis stood on the landing. Her face was powder white, her eyes wide. "Dad, what…?" she began uncertainly.

"Alexis go back to your room please!" Rick snapped.

If it were possible, the girl's eyes got wider. "But…"

"No buts. **NOW**" he ground out. She retreated, the hurt and confusion plain on her face. Kate nearly cried watching her go.

Rick spun on her. "And YOU. Did you even consider what this is going to do to my mother, to my relationship with her? She told me she didn't know who my dad was, what his name was. What am I supposed to do now that she's living with him? Call her a liar? Or worse, a sl…"

Kate cringed, realizing he couldn't even bring himself to say the word. Suddenly she noticed he wasn't saying ANY words. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment again and clenched his fist. When he opened his eyes, he made straight for the door and left, slamming it shut behind him.

Stunned by his reaction, Kate went to sit on the couch. In minutes the tears were flowing freely. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Alexis, evidence of a recent cry all over her face, was holding out a box of tissues. Kate allowed a small smile and patted the couch beside her.

Alexis sat warily. "What's going on?"

Kate regarded her with a rueful smile. "How about you tell me what you've put together so far. In my experience, you don't miss much, not that your father's reaction was a state secret."

"Chet is Dad's…dad. Which, would make him my grandfather?" Kate nodded in response.

"And Dad went off like a missile because….?" Alexis prompted.

"That's the part you might actually be able to help me with. You have known him far longer, after all."

"Well, he told me once he didn't mind not knowing, because this way his dad could be anyone, even someone really important. He might be mad at you for blowing that theory."

Kate didn't dare broach the subject of Martha's morality. Clearly there was more to the story, and it was too much for her, a relative outsider, to start discussing, especially with the woman's granddaughter. She stayed in the marginally safer zone of Rick's anger. "Ever seen him this angry?"

"Once or twice. He thinks he's protected me from this stuff, but like you say, I don't miss much."

Kate hated the pathetic way this was going to sound. "Any idea when he'll be back?"

Alexis shrugged at that. "I've always gone to bed, he's always been home by breakfast." She yawned.

Kate now felt guilty for the turmoil she'd stirred up. "Speaking of, why don't you go to bed sweetie. School tomorrow."

Alexis nodded and hugged her. "He'll cool down, he always does."

Kate watched her head upstairs, then settled on the couch to wait. "I hope you're right…" she whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

All Rick wanted to do was just keep moving. He figured if he didn't stop, the demons chasing him couldn't catch him. The stricken faces of his daughter and his…Kate. Guilt over his outburst warred with his fury over being misled. Down the hall from the apartment, he bypassed the elevator lobby in favor of the stairs. He charged down them, footsteps echoing off the walls. He emerged onto the sidewalk and kept going.

"Hey! Watch it!" cried an indignant voice as he nearly knocked someone over in his haste to just get away. His mind's eye resumed the slide show. Now it displayed Mother, moony over having reconnected with her high school sweetheart. Chet, both present day and the yesteryear pictures from his 'MyFace' profile.

He stalked along Spring street, mindless of his surroundings. He was withdrawn both physically and mentally. His shoulders were hunched, his cocky celebrity persona nowhere in sight. People passing him by mostly gave him a wide berth, as seasoned New Yorkers were wont to do when encountering someone who looked like they might snap at any moment. A few did a double take then continued on. No one would truly recognize him when he was wearing this mask of gloom.

He hadn't grabbed a jacket on the way out. Fortunately it was a warm enough evening, though his fight-or-flight response had jacked up his body temperature so that it wouldn't have mattered if it were December.

His mind continued to whirl, each thought like a hamster in its own wheel. He replayed the conversation with Esposito the night they'd caught the Cano Vega case.

'_What about you, man, your Dad take you to games?' _

Beckett interjecting: '_Castle is famously fatherless.' _

Then moments later, Esposito again: '_What was it, some kinda Momma Mia thing? Early 70's, free love, I can see that' _

His stern defense of his mother. '_You really need to stop talking now.'_

By cruel coincidence Alexis had been given that stupid family tree assignment, shining another light on his origins as… a bastard. "Let's call a spade a spade, why don't we," he muttered.

Another image floated in his head. Alexis, lifting the cloth to reveal the baseball mitts, making this the umpteenth time they had swapped roles of parent and child. He got an actual pain in his stomach thinking of how he had barked at her. She hadn't deserved one iota of that.

"I swear I'll make it up to you, pumpkin," he told the visage in his mind.

He crossed 6th Avenue and spotted The Aqua Grille on the corner. By now he was sweating from the exertion of his power walking. He decided to stop for something to drink, preferably 50 proof or better.

His conscience, speaking in the voice of his level headed daughter reciting a health class essay, chided him that alcohol was a mood magnifier, a nervous system depressant. Nothing good would come of drinking in this frame of mind.

Some other voice rose and extolled the virtues of the drink to kill the pain. No more callers, please, we have a winner.

He sat in the outdoor patio area and ordered a rum and Coke. He'd avoided thinking directly about Kate until now. Realistically he doubted she could have known what this might do to him, or she never would have proceeded. The subject of his parentage was never the topic of serious discussion.

Still, he squirmed internally when he thought about what actions would have been necessary to submit samples for DNA testing. Having this matter treated like one of her cases, the circumspect gathering of 'evidence', it ate at him.

He downed the rum and Coke, then ordered an A-Bomb, after deciding that the cola was going to be an obstacle to his goal of numbed nerves.

Now came the recollection of Kate volunteering to clean up during poker night, then her surprising him with something she'd called him childish for coveting only the day before. All a ploy. He deeply resented it. Suddenly he realized that somewhere out there was one more person privy to the knowledge of the testing: whoever had actually performed it.

The first shot arrived, and he made it disappear just as quickly. "Keep 'em coming" he ordered tersely, slapping a hundred on the table. The waiter looked at him in surprise.

Then there was Mother. She'd told him she'd 'loved a lifetime' with the man who'd sired him. But she'd let him believe she didn't know the man's identity. A half truth? Was it as Esposito said, had she 'known' more than one man in that time frame? Or was it an out-and-out lie?

Another shot arrived and went smoothly down the hatch, as he tried to ease the sting of that thought. His mind sought another path to travel.

To be willing to go it alone, in a time when unwed motherhood was far less acceptable than it was today, meant she must have had good reasons, deeply personal reasons. She'd picked up with Chet like it was yesterday, not 39 years ago. So they couldn't have parted on bad terms.

His thinking was getting a bit muddled, his "brilliance" dimming glass by glass. He should probably get some help before the lights went out entirely. He pulled out the phone and dialed the only person over 21 he even half-trusted right now.

Kate startled awake when she heard voices on the other side of the front door. A screaming ache in her neck told her she'd been sleeping too long with her head at a most unfortunate angle. A glance at her watch confirmed it: 1:15am.

Wait….voices…plural? She recognized the louder one by tone, though the softer one sounded more coherent. She got to the door just as she heard a key scratching at the lock, accompanied by a surly slur. "I…can do it… myshelf!"

Brow knitting, she opened the door and was nearly knocked flat by Rick stumbling forward, key still poised. The only thing that saved her was Ryan catching him.

The shorter man steered Rick to the couch and planted him there, wiping sweat from his brow. He regarded Kate.

"Now I think I've seen everything. Normally this guy puts the 'happy' in Happy Hour. But tonight…lets just say that when I caught up to him, my badge was the only thing standing between him and either a drunk and disorderly bust or an ass kicking. I dunno what's gotten into him, other than a staggering amount of booze, but he's gonna be hurting in the morning."

They both looked at Rick, who'd passed out.

Kate sighed. "Help me turn him on his side, so if he pukes…check that…_when_ he pukes, he doesn't aspirate and choke."

Ryan complied, then stepped back, in case the puking happened sooner, rather than later. Kate scanned the room, emitting a small cry of victory when she spotted her quarry. She fished the waste basket out from under her desk and lined it up within Rick's reach. She beckoned Ryan to follow her into the kitchen.

"Thank you, Kevin." Her use of his first name was a rare event, but this was a personal issue, and she wanted to convey her gratitude in terms other than boss-subordinate. "I have to ask. How is it that he ended up with you?"

Kevin shrugged. "He called me, said something about 'a bastard in distress'. Wasn't making much sense, but I convinced him to put the waiter on the phone, who told me where to find him."

Kate asked the next question warily. "Did he say anything else?"

Kevin chuckled. "I dunno, he was pretty out of it. There _was_ something about Flash Gordon's toothbrush." With that he left.

Kate went back out to the living room and tucked the afghan around Rick, then curled up in one of the armchairs. She wanted to be close when he woke.

She was yanked from her dreams by the sound of groaning and retching. She sat bolt upright and went to him. Thankfully he'd found the waste basket. She went into the bathroom and dampened a face cloth, then got a glass of water and the bottle of acetaminophen. She returned and stood at the end of the couch, waiting.

"Good morning" she said carefully, when he'd finally straightened. She handed him the cloth, the glass, and the bottle.

He wiped his mouth, shook out two tablets and drained the water glass. He regarded her with a mixture of gratitude and pain. "Thanks. You have no idea how tempted I am to bait you so you'll shoot me and put me out of my misery."

She half smiled. "Physical or emotional?"

"Both." He looked around. "What time is it?"

"A little after 8."

Remorse flooded his face. "Alexis?"

"At school, where else?"

"Of course, what was I thinking?"

She shrugged. "I told her I'd pick her up from school, since the bus brings her home so much later. I was going on the assumption you'd want to talk to her as soon as possible."

He nodded his thanks. "Why aren't you at work?"

"Called out sick. Kevin's covering for me." Voluntarily, she added mentally, after a conversation about the state Rick would be in today. She owed him HUGE after this, they both did. He was normally a bit goofy, but he really stepped up this time.

The mention of Ryan's first name brought Rick's eyebrow up, before shamed recollection lowered it again. "Oh, man…" He closed his eyes, but then opened them again and stared at her. His look was accusing, stony.

Kate sighed. It looked like the memory of the rest of the evening had returned. She held up her hand. "Look, I know you're still upset, but let me just say this. I thought I was doing a good thing, and I did it the only way I knew how."

His glare told her he wasn't convinced, not even a little.

She changed tacks. "Let's not do this right now. Go up and take a shower, then get some more sleep. We'll talk when you're feeling better."

He nodded grudgingly, then trudged upstairs. He cleaned up and then collapsed into bed. As he drifted off, he considered the possibility that maybe things weren't as much of a mess as he thought.

After sleeping most of the day, Rick woke feeling better. Physically, at least. Emotionally he was still torn. His relationships with all of the key female figures in his life had been impacted. "_Well, at least one is relatively easy to mend, best to get started on that," _he thought. He checked the clock. 3:45. Alexis would be doing homework.

He went and rapped on her door. It opened almost instantly, and he realized he hadn't yet worked out what to say. Alexis stood there, arms crossed defensively, but her face was open.

Despite all of the pretty words his writer's mind could have strung together to gain her forgiveness, he opted for the simple approach. "Pumpkin, I…I'm sorry I yelled at you. You didn't deserve it. Can you forgive me?"

She smiled. "Well what do you know? Boys _can_ just say they're sorry." She stepped forward into his embrace for a moment, then pulled back. "Just so you know, I reserve the right to use this as a bargaining chip in the future."

Rick grinned. "That's my girl!" He gathered her in for another hug, then stepped back and sobered. "Is Kate downstairs?"

Alexis nodded, then headed back into her room and closed the door again. Rick knew that half of this was about her drive to excel at her studies, but the other half was about staying out of the way of the next round of his 'discussion' with Kate.

He sighed heavily. Time to face the music.

He descended the stairs and found her reading. Music was playing softly in the background, he noted with a touch of irony. When she spotted him she closed the book slowly and eyed him cautiously.

"You look…nervous" he said incredulously. "I've seen you face down some of the biggest bad-asses in the city without batting an eyelash. You're NEVER nervous, even when your life is at stake."

"That's because my _happiness_ has never been at stake before."

His heart broke for her when he took in the hidden meaning of her words. She was scared he was going to dump her over this? Movement in her lap caught his attention, and he saw that she was fidgeting with her engagement ring, slipping it off and then back on, as though she was trying to brace herself to be without it.

"Your happiness? Oh God, honey, no!" He went to her then and hugged her fiercely, then kissed her. He held her at arm's length and made sure he had her attention. "After a great deal of reflection, I've come to the conclusion that your motives were pure, and that your contention that 'the ends justified the means' wasn't wrong. If you had any other profession, you could still have gathered the items and requested the test."

Something that had been poking at his subconscious finally broke through. "The initials on the report- LP. Lanie ran it for you." It was a statement, not a question.

Kate nodded. "I trust her implicitly to be discrete. And for what it's worth, she's in _your_ cheering section."

He was about to ask what she meant by that, when she tilted her head to the side, listening to the music.

"Oh wow, I haven't heard this one in a while. Perfect timing, too." She stepped close to him. "Dance with me."

He let her lead him into a slow dance and she began to sing along with the radio.

"_I'd gladly walk across the desert with no shoes upon my feet, to share with you the last bite of the bread I had to eat. _

_I would swim out to save you in your sea of broken dreams. When all your hopes are sinking, let me show you what love means._

_Love can build a bridge between your heart and mine. Love can build a bridge, don't you think it's time?"_

"Yes, I certainly do" he responded, cradling her face for a deep kiss.They still swayed a bit in time to the music. When it was over they simply stood there, neither wanting to break the spell. Eventually, though, reality intruded in the form of a key sliding in the lock. Rick and Kate looked at one another with wide-eyed dread. With Alexis upstairs, that left one key-holder…Martha.

_**Author's notes: In case anyone missed it, this song gave the story its title. When I ran the scenario of revealing Rick's father, I decided it would go roughly, and then this song would make it better.**_

_**Also, in case anyone is interested, an A-bomb has equal parts Bailey's, Kahlua, Vodka and Tia Maria (coffee flavored rum with vanilla and sugar) Never had one but it sounded yummy so I thought, Why not?**_


	12. Chapter 12

Sure enough, the door swung open to reveal Rick's mother, keys in one hand, shopping bags dangling from both arms. As usual, she was dressed in bold jewel tones. Her face registered surprise as she noticed the couple, who jumped apart guiltily.

"No, no, don't stop on my account, darling. If I'd known you two were indulging in a bit of afternoon delight, I'd have called first, but I assumed you'd be out saving the world."

Rick cringed and Kate blushed slightly at her bold assumption about what they'd been doing.

Rick waved his hand. "Mother, _please. _In the living room? With Alexis right upstairs? I do have a bit more self control than _that_."

"Ah yes, but I know what it's like to be in love and caught up in the heat of the moment."

She was busy arranging her parcels, and so she missed the dangerous flash of ire that crossed Rick's face at her casual mentionof her care-free lifestyle. Several sarcastic retorts bounced around in his head, such as "Yes, and we know how that turned out at least once".

Kate had been watching and saw the warning sign immediately. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it to get his attention, then shook her head gently. "Not like this" she whispered.

He sighed and nodded his agreement, running his hand through his hair. He really wanted more time to figure out how to address the situation.

"Now where is it?" Martha was muttering to herself. She looked up as she singled one bag out of the bunch. "I found a darling blouse for Alexis, and I wanted to come over and give it to her."

Rick nodded. "I'll go get her. She's probably got her headphones in."

Martha started to wave away his offer. "Nonsense, I can go, I feel badly I interrupted you."

Kate realized that his goal was to speak to Alexis privately. The girl NEVER had her music that loud. She even lectured Rick on hearing loss when he cranked the volume on the car radio. When Rick shot her a pleading glance, she nodded subtly.

"Uh Martha, actually I wanted to get your input on something." She pulled a stack of bridal magazines from the shelf beneath the coffee table. "I'm going to use the same seamstress that designed my gown for the mayor's ball, but I'm having a tough time choosing the style…"

Rick breathed a sigh of relief as Martha was drawn to Kate and her magazines. He marveled once again at Kate's ability to think on her feet, yet another trait that made her an extraordinary woman and detective. Still, he made a mental note to tease her later about her collection. He'd never have pegged her as the sort to go poring through the booklets.

He headed upstairs and tapped on Alexis' door. "Come in?" she answered. She seemed surprised to see him.

"Everything OK with Kate? That was fast. You didn't make her cry again, did you? Did she leave? What did you do?"

He was a bit bowled over by the torrent of questions. There was a twinge of pain when he registered the words "make her cry again".

"Whoa, pumpkin, relax. Kate's fine, we're…fine. All better. Except…Grams is downstairs, and she wants to see you. Now I know I've always been an advocate of honesty, but I haven't figured out how I'm going to talk to her about this Chet business, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention it."

She looked at him like he'd taken leave of his senses. "Dad, give me some credit. I know you can't have had a heavy conversation like that already. I'm not about to let the cat out of the bag."

"You're wise beyond your years. Ok, go!"

He followed her back downstairs, where she excitedly examined her gift. She made small talk with Martha until the older woman started gathering up her things to leave. "Chet's taking me to the Tavern on the Green tonight."

The mention of the man who was the subject of all the drama made everyone flinch just a bit, but she missed it. She swept out in one of her trademark Rogers grand exits, and Alexis made an exit of her own, back to her homework.

Kate was watching Rick as he settled heavily into the armchair. Contemplation and worry clouded his face. He looked up at her suddenly. "Did you ever get the background check I asked for?"

She nodded and reached into her purse, withdrawing the sheaf of papers. He read through them, barely able to wrap his mind around the fact that this was his father's biography, abridged version.

"Well, he's not a Nobel Prize winner, but it seems like a good solid life." He stared at her as a realization hit. "You know, I never asked. What exactly made you order the test? I mean, on him, of all people?"

She shrugged. "Call it a gut instinct."

His look was somewhere between confusion and mocking. "But you don't HAVE gut instincts. You have facts. You've told me so a dozen times."

"Eh, maybe you're rubbing off on me. Actually it was the pictures that did it. I saw a resemblance."

"Which begs the question: Did Mother? That's what plagues me most."

"I obviously couldn't say. I'll tell you what I'm worried about, something I wish I'd considered before I sent off the test. How is Martha going to react to my 'meddling'? I mean, when you did what you did, I was the only one impacted, and my dad, to a lesser extent. But this…the dominos just keep falling. You, Martha, even Chet. How's he going to react?"

"That's anyone's guess. I do know this: when the time comes to talk to Mother, it would be better if I did it myself. Maybe you could take Alexis out somewhere? We'll tell her why, so she can be prepared in case things go badly."

"Rick, that's fine, and if Martha wants to ream me out later, she can."

* * *

Alexis ventured out of her room when she smelled the pizza they had ordered in. The three had a quiet evening, carefully avoiding all discussion of the previous night's events. Rick and Kate turned in not long after Alexis had.

He lit a couple of the scented candles and got undressed. She donned one of her slinkiest nightgowns, royal blue this time, and broke out the massage oil. There was unspoken understanding that they were determined to reaffirm their bond. They climbed onto the bed from opposite sides and met kneeling in the middle, a symbolic gesture of compromise.

A simultaneous "I'm sorry" got them both laughing, relaxed.

Rick caressed her face, brushing his thumbs under her eyes. Now that he looked closely he could see the subtle residual puffiness from the tears Alexis had referred to. He kissed each eyelid tenderly. "I only want to bring you tears of joy."

"I didn't know what to think when you charged out of here. I've never seen you that angry, and if I don't ever see it again I will be a very happy woman. But I know that isn't realistic. We are passionate people, and we're going to yell, respond badly to stress. I'd like us to make a promise though."

Rick's brow furrowed. "Baby, I think that's what the marriage vows are for."

Kate shook her head. "Valid point, but not what I had in mind. When I studied Russian, there was a poem I learned. The first line was _'zhdi menya ee ya vernus' _'wait for me and I will return'. I promise you, here and now, that if ever we're in a tough situation, be it a lover's spat or on the job, you _will_ hear me say _'Ya vernus'_. It will be my vow that I will come back to you."

Rick smiled. "Say it again?" She did, and he echoed her. "_Ya vernus_. I like it." He nodded approvingly.

She continued. "And if you do say those words, you will hear me say _'Ya zhdu_.' ' I am waiting'."

His eyes lit up. "I love it, it's like a code. Does this mean I get to call you Natasha?"

"Don't be silly. Katya will be just fine."

"Katya, huh? I like it. A lot. I know! We can play Russian spies and 'debrief' one another."

At her dark look he got serious. "No, really, I realize that a nickname like that is a special gift. Thank you. Now…" he whispered, his tone becoming seductive "I've got a special gift for you."

She arched an eyebrow. "Really, do you now?"

He nodded slowly, inching closer. "Yeah, you want to unwrap it?" he said, pulling her hand to the waistband of his boxers. As she slid them down, he began to place kisses on the side of her neck, her shoulder, then after he'd brushed aside the straps of the nightgown, lower. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feelings he was stirring in her.

Suddenly he withdrew, and her skin goose-pimpled from the rapid loss of his body heat. Her eyes flew open when she heard a thud followed by a grunted "Oof". She leaned forward and braced her hands on the edge of the bed to look over the side, then collapsed with laughter. Rick lay on the floor, his shorts tangled around his legs.

"What are you doing down there?" she asked playfully when she'd recovered some of her composure.

"Other than listening to my fiancée laugh at my humiliation? I was going to come around behind you."

"You could have asked me to turn around…" she said, using the voice and 'duh' look she reserved for pointing out things that should be obvious.

"I know, but I was going for a super fast, 'now he's here, now he's there' kinda thing."

"Super fast, huh? That sounds….unsatisfying." She raised her eyebrow again in challenge.

"Oh ho. You're not casting aspersions on my lovemaking talents, now are you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Planning on coming back up here to prove me wrong, or should I toss you a pillow?"

She had to give him credit. He was back up on the bed (sans shorts) in the blink of an eye. Since she'd been laying on her stomach for the whole conversation, he slid the nighty the rest of the way off, then grabbed the massage oil and started working it into her skin. When massaging any particular spot made her shiver, he pressed an open-mouthed kiss there.

He could tell he was getting to her, the way her hands bunched up the sheets. He grasped her hips and pulled her up to her hands and knees. As he smoothed his hand over her butt, he saw her shifting, inching her knees apart. He accepted the invitation, caressing her fold, chuckling at her little whimper of pleasure. He leaned over her and found a breast with his long fingers. The whimper blossomed to a moan.

He felt her shiver as he whispered in her ear. "Now, _Katya, _I'm going to show you the difference between _fast _and _slow._" He did, too, in some erotic parody of a Sesame Street segment.

He entered her slowly from behind. He kept the pace leisurely, marshalling all of his self control techniques in the process. "What's Russian for slow, anyway?" he asked.

She couldn't believe he was looking for language lessons at a moment like this. She had an even harder time believing how difficult it was to access that part of her brain. "What difference does it make?" she evaded.

He stopped moving, just held her hips against his. "I've had a little fantasy going, ever since I heard you break out that accent. Since you've opened the discussion of your knowledge of Russian, I can tell you how much I would love to hear you….ask for things…in that _tongue_." The double entendre was not lost on her.

She wriggled impatiently against him. "And you're choosing _now _to tell me about this."

He stroked once, twice, to remind her body of the delicious friction he could provide, then stopped again.

"I thought I could motivate you to play along. Tell me and we can continue," he said simply. She could hear the grin.

"This might be the most bizarre form of extortion you've ever tried." She gasped as his finger slid in above where they were joined. He massaged the highly sensitive area, then withdrew his hand.

"The words?" he coaxed.

" _'Myedleno' _is slow."

"See, that wasn't so…hard." He resumed his pleasurable torture of her, again keeping the pace sedate. He was glad she couldn't see the sweat beads breaking out on him. "Now the word I think you really want to use, even though you teased me about it not being satisfying…"

She groaned, both with pleasure and because he had twisted her words against her. Damn writers.

Since he'd proven he could be more obstinate than she, she gave in this time. " _'Bistro'_ is fast."

He rewarded her capitulation by quickening the pace. The sensations threatened to overwhelm her. He felt her tensing, and slowed the pace again. "Now let's practice. Do you prefer '_myedleno_' or _'bistro'_?" he asked in perfect imitation.

When she refused to respond, she felt his finger slide in again. "_Bistro, pozhalsto_" she cried.

Didn't take a linguistic genius to figure out the other word she'd uttered was 'please'. A bonus.

His body was signaling that it would endure no more of this foolishness. He quickened his pace again and kept massaging her with his fingers to help her along. He felt himself being pulled over the edge of control, but he read her signals and gave one final stroke with his fingers to ensure she would go over with him. He collapsed against her momentarily, then rolled them both to the side so that she wasn't pressed under his weight.

As they settled into a comfortable sleep position, Kate heard him mumble something. She couldn't have been more surprised when she discerned he had uttered '_spacibo_'. 'Thank you'.

* * *

_**Yes, yes, I know, you all thought this would be the big 'Rick/Martha' talk. I did too, at first, but then I decided he hadn't had enought time to digest things and figure out what to say. Next chapter will deal with that, promise.**_

_**Besides, I had it on good authority that a makeup scene would not go amiss. Hopefully you enjoyed it. **_

**_Please leave a review? _**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Rick was just finishing with dinner preparations when Martha let herself in. Her eyebrows rose in surprise when she noted only two place settings. "What about the girls, dear?"

"It will just be the two of us tonight. Kate and Alexis are out bonding" he said vaguely, waving his hand. "Besides, it's been a while since the two of us have been able to sit and talk."

He served dinner, chicken paprikash over basmati rice. They ate in silence for a few moments, until Martha noticed that Rick was rearranging more of his food than consuming it. She covered his hand with hers. "Richard, dear, what is it? You always did play with your dinner when something was on your mind."

At her touch, coupled with the concerned tone, Rick felt butterflies in his stomach. Wait, guys didn't get butterflies, did they? Maybe small pterodactyls. Yes, that was more like it. Suddenly he felt uncomfortable at having gotten her here under somewhat false pretenses.

His troubled expression was only ramping up Martha's worry. "Richard? It isn't Kate, is it? Trouble in paradise already? Is that why she's not here?"

"Well, indirectly, yes." He held up a hand when she started to speak. "Not… like that. Well, not anymore. We hit a rough patch but we got through it."

"Oh darling, it's natural. Wedding planning chills the feet like nothing else. Trust me, I know."

"It's funny you should say that, because our blow-out involves you…"

"Me?

"Yes, you and your history."

Martha quietly placed her fork on her plate and regarded him. "Richard, please stop being vague. You have a gift with words, so spit it out."

"It's…complicated." At her impatient 'tsk' he continued. "But ok, I'll try. You remember when I brought Dr. Murray in to review Johanna's casefile?"

Martha nodded, filing away the observation that Rick had referred to Kate's mother by her first name, as though they had been acquainted. Though the way he'd stared at the file night after night, he probably felt like they were.

"Remember when he gave me his findings, and _you_ told me that I had to tell her, regardless of what her reaction would be, because she needed to know?"

Martha nodded again, confusion etching her face.

"Well…She went and did something…because she thought I would want to know."

Now Martha searched his face for some clue. Certainly there were no murdered family members, so what on earth could he be referring to?

He took a deep breath and held her gaze steadily. "What is the single greatest mystery of my life?"

She arched an eyebrow at that. "You mean other than how Alexis is more mature than you are?"

He allowed a small smile. "You're not far off the mark, it _is_ a question of genetics. More specifically, MY genetics. The…other half…of the gene pool."

Realization began to dawn. "But darling, I've told you, I don't have any idea who…" she protested.

"Yes, you do." His voice was soft. This was a matter that called for kid gloves. He pulled the DNA results out from under his placemat and set them before her. "Seems you've come to know him extremely well of late."

"But this makes no sense. He told me…he was devastated…he couldn't…"

"Chet told you he couldn't father children."

"Yes. I wasn't completely truthful about when I saw him last. He went off to college, got in that awful accident. His pelvis was crushed, that's why the doctors said that… Well, he came home to recuperate, and…we saw one another again. But then he was back to college and his big dreams."

"But there was obviously someone else."

"Yes, unfortunately."

Now it was Rick's turn to furrow his brow with confusion.

She continued. "I went to college myself. My first week I caught the eye of a rather handsome professor. During offices hours one evening, things got rather…heated… Unfortunately I found out he was married, to the daughter of the dean."

Rick groaned, seeing where this was headed. He would never understand infidelity like that. And it wasn't only men, Meredith had done it to him.

"Even when I told him I was pregnant, he informed me that he had a good thing going and he wasn't about to walk away from it. He told me that he knew the dean well enough that I would never be believed, even if I came forward."

She paused, drawing a shaky breath. She wouldn't look at him anymore, just stared at her plate."I was so embarrassed that I let myself get taken in by that…snake. I invented the 'mystery man' scenario and got on with my life."

Now she looked up. Pride began to chase away the shame. "Despite how you tease me about your upbringing, I think I did ok. Look at how well you've turned out."

She reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze, but then her expression clouded again. She appeared to be thinking. "How exactly did Kate come by this information?"

"She said she thought she saw some resemblance in an older photo of him. She obtained some samples and had them run." Rick prayed she wouldn't think to ask where Kate had seen the old photos. He should have given his mother more credit for her shrewdness.

"And she had the opportunity to view these photos _how_?"

"Does that matter?" he asked evasively.

"Richard Castle, I know a guilty look when I see it on my own son's face. What did you do?"

He was torn. He was loath to admit his own culpability in the situation. He could deflect her attention back to Kate's role in this mess…He rejected that as cowardly. He was ashamed of himself for even thinking he could throw his Kate under the bus to save his own skin. Still, he squirmed, pinned under his mother's penetrating gaze. Now he knew what bugs felt like under a magnifying glass.

Her sharp voice snapped him out of his musings. "RICHARD"

God, he felt like he was eight again. Ah well, at least now he was too big to spank. Here went nothing.

"I…may have…asked her to run a background check on Chet."

Surprise and...oh crap…anger vied for dominance in her face. He hurried to continue "But it was only because I didn't want to see you get taken in again."

"I can take care of myself. I don't need big strong you to take care of _me_, either."

"Really?" he asked dryly, unable to resist.. "Is that why you were living with 'big strong me' for a year?"

As well as he thought he knew women, particularly his own mother, he never saw the slap coming. One second she looked stunned, and the next his cheek was stinging. She rose to leave but he was faster this time, and gently but firmly grasping her upper arms, planted her back in her chair.

"Look, Mother, I'm sorry. I had that coming," he said, kneeling so that he could look her in the eye. "I shouldn't have thrown it in your face. Just try to imagine, though, how confusing it's been for me over the last few days.

Her face softened then. She reached out to hug him. "What a night. And we still have to talk to Chet."

"At least you won't have to ask him for child support payments."

She swatted his arm at that. "So you and Kate had your first big fight?"

"Well not so much a fight as me yelling a lot and storming out. I know, mature, right? And for the record, Kate hopes you're not too mad at her. After all, it's your life she was butting into, too."

"She's got the instincts of a cop, I'm not sure she can just turn those off. It's true that I should have been consulted first, but what's done is done."

((((((((((

Kate and Alexis came home to find that Rick and his mother were in the living room, companionably sharing a bottle of wine. Kate eyed the scene warily, unsure if she should intrude. Alexis nudged Kate to get her attention.

"I'll put your stuff on your bed?" she asked. At Kate's absent nod, she whispered "It'll be fine, just go," before heading upstairs with the acquisitions from their shopping trip.

She approached cautiously. Rick glanced over his shoulder at the sound of her heels on the floor. He gave her a warm, reassuring smile.

Kate took a deep breath and addressed Martha. "So… he told you. I'm not sure they covered this one in the future-daughter-in-law's handbook." She held out her hands in a helpless gesture.

Rick and Martha exchanged glances. He'd seen this 'less than self assured' side of Kate, but his mother hadn't yet. He could tell it surprised the older woman. She nodded, then smiled up at Kate.

"Yes, dear, and it's ok. After all these years, it's probably for the best that the truth came to light. After all, with my son's history, what the hell do _I_ have to be ashamed of?"

She waved aside his indignant "Hey.." and stood to offer Kate a hug.

"Now, I guess I should go home and tell Chet he's a daddy…and a grandpa. I hope he's taken his heart medication."

Rick walked her to the door and bade her goodbye. He held his arms out to Kate, who eagerly went to him. "So, you ladies have fun?"

"Absolutely. Alexis was giving me another lesson in how to spend your money."

"Really? And how's that going?" he asked playfully

"I don't know, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it, but I'll probably need more pract—oww!" she cried out, rubbing her butt where he'd pinched her.

"Keep that up, and we're gonna find out what YOUR safe word is."


	14. Chapter 14

**Just wanted to say thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter, it makes my day. Standard disclaimers apply, don't own any of this.**

* * *

Chapter 14

Martha went home to the apartment that Chet shared with her. She was still thunderstruck. In Richard's loft, she had summoned the skills accumulated during her lifetime to _portray_ a woman who was not "freaked out" (as Alexis would say). All this time, believing that she shared a child with that cheating weasel of a professor. Now to find out he was actually Chet's.

She took a deep breath and let herself in. Chet was on the phone, with Assemblyman Keddy from the sound of things. He smiled at her fondly before speaking into the receiver. "Hey, Mel, listen, I have to run….Ah ha ha. Very funny. Not run for office, that's your thing. Yeah. We'll touch base during the week. Bye."

Chet turned to properly greet her. "Hiya, gorgeous. Have a good night?"

She hesitated before replying. "It was good….certainly interesting."

"Why's that?" he asked, heading to the wet bar to fix her a cocktail. She held up her hand.

"Nothing for me right now, though you should probably fix yourself a stiff one."

Chet turned to her in alarm. "No drink for you, but I should…. For heaven's sake, Martha, what is going on?"

"Sit down, love."

He folded his arms resolutely. "Whatever it is, I can take it. What's happened? Someone sick?"

"No, not at all," she reassured him. Lord, this was more difficult than she thought. "Chet, dear, do you remember when you came home after the accident? That one night when you were so distraught?"

Chet smiled fondly. "Yes, that night was quite memorable."

Martha continued. "Well it seems you had nothing to be distraught about. Your fertility was not as damaged as you thought…" she let the sentence dangle, hoping he would start to comprehend what she was saying.

"My fertility? For God's sake, Martha. Do stop beating around the bush."

"Oh Chet. Richard…is your son."

"My…my what?"

"Your son, dear. Kate saw your old pictures and thought she saw a resemblance. She ordered a DNA test, which confirmed it. Which means you are suddenly both a father, and a grandfather."

With that, Chet sat. Heavily.

* * *

Kate stood in their bedroom, inspecting her reflection. She slipped the chain with her mother's ring over her neck, then fixed the collar of her blouse and fluffed her hair. Behind her, a cloud of steam materialized as the bathroom door opened. Kate paused, fingers still in her locks, as she watched him emerge. Rick had his head bent, toweling himself off. He looked up and met her gaze in the glass. His face immediately broke into a grin.

"What's the matter, babe. Hoping to catch me naked?" His eyebrows waggled.

She rolled her eyes, even as she was caught up in his infectious smile. "You spend too much time naked. I was hoping to catch you clothed and ready to go." She turned and leaned her hip against the bureau.

He faked a pout. "Tell me you don't have fun when I'm naked. And you're naked. And we're…." he cringed as she wound up to chuck her comb at him.

"Get. Dressed. We have a meeting with the wedding planner before I have to go to work."

"I still don't see why we need a wedding planner. I can handle all the details."

She pointed at him. "That. Right there. You handling things. THAT's why we need a wedding planner. I don't want our theme to be anything that might have been featured at a comic book convention or in a horror movie."

Castle opened his mouth to push the envelope a bit further, but the self preservation part of his brain pointed out the "I Mean Business" look she was giving him. He hurried into his closet to dress.

When he emerged the room was empty. He found her downstairs stirring vanilla syrup into her coffee. He reached around her for a travel mug, shamelessly groping her ass in the process. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"Sneaky, very sneaky, but it's not going to work."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You know what. That's my favorite shirt on you. You know it never lasts."

"I call this my lucky shirt. 'Cause I always seem to get lucky when I wear it." He paused to give her a wicked grin. "Since we have an appointment and then work, I guess you can consider it an incentive to hurry home tonight. Maybe you can teach me some more Russian. Let's see, what were last night's? _'lyoobov'_ : love. Very important. And then there was '_gromko' : _loud. Which you certainly were."

* * *

Kate sat at her desk, Rick in "his" chair beside it. The meeting with the wedding planner had gone well but she was starting to regret her suggestion that he accompany her into work. He was excitedly talking about some of the suggestions the planner had made about the music and the food. When his jiggling chair started to tap against her desk, she shot a glare in his direction. Oblivious, he continued.

In the sweetest voice she could muster, she said "Sit still or go home, _durak"_

"What'd he do to piss you off this time?" a husky female voice inquired from behind Kate.

Castle looked up to greet Karpowski. "What makes you think I did anything?" he asked, giving her his best cocky grin.

She stared at him, but he simply looked cluelessly back at her. She opened her mouth, closed it, cocked her head to the side.

He smiled, mentally processing her name. Slavic origins. "Ok you caught us. Kate's been teaching me a handful of Russian words so that we can have more…private conversations…in a not-so-private place. Like that little term of endearment you heard just now."

She chuckled a little, then shook her head. "If 'fool' is a term of endearment, you guys have a weirder relationship than I thought" she said as she retreated.

His smile faded. He tried to look at Kate, but she was suddenly very interested in the contents of her file drawer. "Beckett?" She ignored him.

"Kat-ya…." he called in a sing-song voice. She sat up and reluctantly turned to him.

"Wha-at?" she returned in the same tone.

He smiled, amused. "If you're hoping to play irritated with me so I'll forget I should be irritated at you, you should probably wait until you've stopped blushing."

She went back to staring at her computer screen, employing the "if I ignore him maybe he'll go away" strategy. Lord only knew why she was bothering, if it had never worked in all the time before they were together, why the heck would it work now?

He toyed with the idea of continuing to sit there, knowing she would squirm. She'd be waiting for his next move. Ha, there, a furtive, apprehensive glance in his direction. He was careful to keep a benign smile on his face while he thought.

Kate was acutely aware of him, sitting quietly beside her. Then he was on the move. She looked up, surprised.

"You're taking your jacket to the break room?"

"No, I'm going home. You said sit still or go, so... I'll see you back at the loft."

She studied his expression, looking for sulking, but he had his poker face on. Damnit. She knew that over time couples learned to read one another's moods better. She prided herself on reading people already, but he was a challenge this time.

* * *

Kate got home and put the pastry box on the counter in the kitchen. She retrieved two plates from the cabinet and placed a cream puff on each of them. Pouring two glasses of milk, she set one on each plate and carried the whole assemblage to the door of Rick's office. An idea had her scurrying back to the kitchen She put the plates down and unbuttoned her blouse, then returned to his door. Suddenly she realized she had a problem. She'd left herself without a hand to knock or turn the doorknob. She had to settle for kicking it lightly.

The door flew open and she had to suppress a laugh at the alarmed look on Rick's face. She settled for a smile before pressing one of the plates into his chest.

"Sorry I missed dinner. I got stuck in an interrogation. Want some dessert?" This last part was delivered in her best suggestive tone.

His smile was one of delighted disbelief but something else was underlying.….discomfort?

"Uhh, that's…wow…nice idea, but not great timing." Rather than let her in, he stepped forward and closed the door behind him.

"Not great timing, why not?"

"I'm in the middle of something at the moment."

"So, go save your document, and then…."

"Actually I have company."

"Company? Whatever! I came home to try to fix things with you, but if you're going to shut me out..."

Rather than looking guilty or defensive, he merely smiled at her. "Here, give me the other plate" he said gently. He took it and set it aside, then buttoned up her blouse for her.

So stunned that for once he was dressing, rather than undressing her, she let him. He opened the door so that she could see Paula sitting on the other side of his desk, surrounded by what appear to be schedules.

For the second time that day, she was mortified. Naturally he'd blocked the way so Paula hadn't seen anything. She had to have heard everything though. He quietly closed the door again.

"Why didn't you say that at the beginning?"

"I was trying not to ruin the surprise. Paula and I are figuring out how to juggle my appearance schedule so that we can be gone on the honeymoon as long as possible."

Kate tried to formulate an answer to that, but a pitiful "Oh" was the best her brain had to offer.

"Go put all this in the refrigerator, then go take a bath. I will bring it up as soon as I can get rid of Paula, ok?"

She nodded numbly and did as he suggested.

* * *

He found her curled up in her comfy chair in a pearl grey satin robe, reading. "You really do retreat into books when you're upset, huh?"

She looked up and smiled. "You have no idea."

He sat down on the love seat and handed her one of the plates he'd retrieved from the refrigerator. "Come sit beside me?" he asked. He took a swipe of cream from her cream puff and applied it to the tip of her nose. She went cross-eyed looking at the blob of cream, and he fell against the arm of the love seat with laughter.

She took a similar dollop of cream from his pastry, but offered it to him on her finger. He sucked it off, then moved in to kiss her.

They finished their desserts and set the plates aside, and she moved off the couch to kneel before him. His eyebrows shot up with surprise and a grin of lustful anticipation took hold of his face, until she shook her head. "Not what you're thinking. Not yet anyway." She took a breath and continued.

"Time for another Russian lesson. _'Prostitye mnye' _Forgive me."

Rick grinned and pulled her up into his lap. "I left the station so I could think a little. It took me a very short walk to figure out a few things. First, other than Karpowski, no one knows what you were calling me, so it's certainly not any great public humiliation. Second, if I didn't have it coming this time, then I can consider it a payback for any number of the times in the past when I have driven you crazy."

"And?" Kate prompted.

"And what?"

"You said a few. That was two, and you are never inaccurate in your choice of words."

He was impressed that she'd caught that, but then being a sharp listener was one of the many things that made his Kate extraordinary.

"Third, I don't have to actually take revenge on you. Watching you stress out trying to figure out what I might do is plenty of fun for me."

He cried out in mock pain when she slugged his shoulder, then turned her so that she was sitting facing him. They kissed and embraced and connected and loved, then slept.

* * *

**_Please keep up the reviews, it really encourages me!_**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ok, I know it's been a while since I updated. The muse has been playing funny games with me. On the up side, I now have pieces of 5 other chapters written. **

**Here you go...Enjoy!**

* * *

Kate sat at her desk whittling down her pile of never ending paperwork. Her cell phone buzzed a text alert. 'Hi beautiful! Are you free for lunch?' 

She replied with an affirmative 'Meet you in the park in 10 minutes?'

'In our spot...' he sent back.

Precisely ten minutes later, Kate strolled into the park to find Rick seated on a picnic blanket. She grinned and plopped herself down across from him. Croissants, fruit and cheeses peeked out of a basket.

"It's the lunch from our first date!"

"Yes, minus the wine. I know you're on duty."

"Well, it's very sweet."

"Mmm. I spoke to Mother this morning…" he said casually. Too casually, she thought.

She looked at the basket, then back up at him. "You buttering me up for something?"

"Not really. She and Chet have invited us, Alexis included, to dinner at their place. So that Chet can get to know his…family a little better."

"That sounds fine, why the build-up?"

"Well, it's tonight."

"So?"

"So I told them we would bring dessert."

"Still not seeing the problem."

He paused. "More specifically, I promised your jelly rolls."

"You promised WHAT? For tonight? Rick, you know that's a complicated, labor-intensive recipe."

He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. She wasn't moved.

"Why can't we just pick something up at the bakery? Or why don't YOU make something. You had time to organize _this_…" she said, gesturing to the blanket.

"Because I wanted to bring something special, and those rolls are the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Now I know you're buttering me up."

"No, this is buttering you up." He leaned across the blanket and whispered in her ear "When we get home from dinner, I promise one of my signature massages for all of your hard work." He saw her shiver, knew she was weakening. He played his final card. " _And _I promise to clean up the kitchen."

Her resolve was crumbling. "Are you going to pass me ingredients while I'm cooking, too?"

His eyes lit up. "Done!"

Kate sighed. "Okay…You are also going to the store and making sure I have everything I need."

This part was not a request, it was an order, he knew. He pulled out his notepad and pen.

She recited the ingredients from memory, and he jotted them down studiously. They finished lunch and parted ways with a kiss.

Back at the precinct she finished what paperwork she could, then at 3pm sharp she was gathering her things to go. Esposito's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Beckett, I've never known you to be a clock watcher."

"Yeah, well, you've never known me to be Betty Crocker, either, and as long as you give me grief you never will." She tossed this over her shoulder, leaving him scratching his head as to what the hell she meant.

* * *

Four hours later Kate, Rick and Alexis stood at the door to Chet's place, tray of jelly rolls balanced on Rick's hand.

As they rang the bell, Kate felt Rick's fingers on her neck. "Not now!" she hissed.

"But you have flour in your ear…"

She hurriedly brushed it away as the door opened. Chet greeted them graciously and stepped back to admit them. He peered through the plastic at the spirals. "Those do look delicious!"

He took their coats and hung them up, then ushered the trio into the living room. Martha rose and delivered a round of hugs. They all stood around awkwardly for a moment, until Chet broke the silence.

"So…young man…" Chet began with mock sternness "Martha tells me that I owe you for a few years worth of solid report cards…Also, that I should ground you for that stunt with the stink bomb in the girls' locker room. Apparently you managed to get them all to run out into the hall half naked?"

Kate chuckled, "I'm not at all surprised he would pull a trick like that in his youth. Or last year, come to think of it."

Alexis just shook her head. She was dying to ask so many questions. But she would let her dad satisfy his curiosity first.

Rick, for his part, just sat, amazed. After all this time, to be sharing his history with this person, and finally, finally learning more about his ancestry. He had learned a few things about Chet from the background check, and a few others on the golf course, but these were superficial details. Now he would have the opportunity to observe Chet at length. It was as though someone had magically opened a window into his past and his future all at once.

Somewhere a timer went off. Chet excused himself to the kitchen and returned to pronounce that dinner was ready. They followed Martha to the dining area and arranged themselves around the table. Chet placed a large baking dish in the center of the table, cheese bubbling at the top of it.

"I hope everyone likes lasagna" he said cheerfully. For a while the only sounds were those of dinner: china sliding along the table, cutlery hitting plates, a few hums of appreciation.

Finally Rick spoke. "So Chet, what brought you back to New York?"

"Well, I was retiring, and I thought I would get back to the city that I grew up in."

Alexis swallowed a bite of her dinner and tentatively started. "Could I… I mean, I was wondering, if you don't mind…"

Chet smiled kindly at her. "What, sweetie?"

"What were _your_ parents like? I mean, where were they from? What did they do?"

His smile broadened. "Well, my father was born here, his parents came to Ellis island from Italy. The name was originally Palabruno, but they botched the spelling."

Alexis beamed. In her mind, the family tree was blossoming. Then something occurred to her. "So this amazing lasagna?"

Chet nodded. "Old family recipe. So lets see… What else? My mother was born in Florida. They met at a national student leadership conference in DC and fell in love. When the conference was over they went their separate ways, but they wrote letters, and when they graduated high school, he sent for her to join him in New York. Dad became a doctor, and Mom raised me and…." He paused to give a significant glance to Rick, "she wrote in her spare time."

Rick smiled. "Would you have any of her works?"

Chet promised to look for them when he got the chance. Before long, dinner was cleared away and coffee was brewed to go with dessert. The jelly rolls were devoured happily. The discussion turned to the wedding planning. Rick had asked Ryan and Esposito to come and stand with him, and Chet would be escorting Martha. Which left…

Kate nudged Rick's foot under the table and he nodded his encouragement. She smiled and reached for Alexis' hand. "I guess this is as good a time as any to ask you if you'll stand with me as a bridesmaid."

Nodding, Alexis burst into happy tears.

Not long after that, things wound down. Chet got their coats and hugged Kate and Alexis. Rick stood, unsure, then opened his arms to Chet as well. "Nice to meet you, Dad."

* * *

**I know, I know, it's short. But there's another chapter coming very soon. Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Rick woke to bright sunshine beaming through the windows. He gave a contented sigh and cuddled closer to Kate, relishing the feel of her silky bare skin under his hands. As he indulged in the sensory delights of _her, _the mature, responsible facet of his persona (which, he'd come to notice, made more frequent appearances lately) prodded him, rather annoyingly, he thought, to ask a question.

"You're still in bed after dawn? Shouldn't you be at work?" The more dominant 'Castle' part of him added hopefully "Have I finally corrupted you?"

"On call" was her grumbled reply, before turning to place other parts of her body within his tender reach.

He smiled to himself and complied with her unspoken request, kissing and caressing every exposed inch of flesh. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, enjoying the shiver that always rippled across her body when he did so. "I have an idea, then. Let's go for a walk."

She regarded him with a confused look. "YOU want to go out for a walk, rather than stay in bed? Are you feeling ok?"

He laughed. "Fit as a fiddle. And hungry as a bear. Let's grab breakfast out. C'mon, move it, before I unleash more clichéd similes on you!"

They ventured out and he led her down along Church street. They ate breakfast at a little diner, then continued walking. After more than a mile, Kate suggested they head back.

Rick shook his head. "Nah, let's keep going. It's not much further."

"_What's_ not much further?"

"You'll see" he replied cryptically.

When he turned onto Wall street, she had an inkling of what he was up to. It was confirmed when she saw the storefront come into view.

"Tiffany's, huh?"

"Yeah, I thought we could shop for our wedding bands."

He opened the door and motioned her ahead of him with a sweep of his arm. Kate tried to tamp down the girlish awe that was bubbling up. She'd window shopped plenty of times, yes, but she'd never set foot inside.

Out of the corner of his eye Rick noticed the fleeting broad smile, quickly replaced by a more reserved one of casual interest. He offered a generous smile of his own to the sophisticated-looking woman now approaching them. She wore an impeccably tailored navy suit with a modest skirt and a snow white blouse. Her blonde hair was pulled into an elegant French twist. The woman smiled in greeting. "Mr. Castle. Always a pleasure to see you."

Kate took in the woman, somehow not surprised by the fact that he was known by name here. Clearly he was a frequent customer.

"Hello Alicia. Nice to see you, too."

"And this must be Kate!"

Kate looked up at him, stunned. _Now_ she was impressed. He wrapped an arm around her waist before replying.

"Got it in one guess, Alicia. And to answer your next question, we are shopping for wedding bands today."

"Excellent. This way please."

Rick had to give Kate a gentle push to get her off the spot she seemed to be rooted to. He chuckled inwardly. Kate's normal composure hadn't merely slipped, it had apparently fallen right off.

Kate allowed him to guide her to the display case that Alicia had just unlocked. When she peered through the glass top, she beheld a beautiful assortment of wedding bands. Naturally there were far more options for the ladies than for the men. She noticed that there were no price tags. This was a classic case of "if you have to ask how much it is, you can't afford it."

For himself, Rick chose a platinum band with gold edging. Under the guise of "matching" he asked Alicia to pull out a complimentary band for Kate. It had diamonds set into platinum, but that combination was bracketed by gold.

Kate slid it on, admiring how it went with her gold and diamond engagement ring. Still, she felt a little uncomfortable. She was no-nonsense, not flash and sparkle. (She told herself that was the reason, not what it must cost) "I don't know, maybe I should go with the plain one."

He studied her hand, then her face. "Nonsense, honey, this one suits you."

Kate angled her hand this way and that, studying it under different lights, even venturing to the window so that she could watch the sunlight glint off of it. Finally satisfied, she returned to the counter and nodded.

Alicia smiled. "I already have Kate's ring size from the engagement order, so Mr. Castle, let's get a size for you and we can place the order."

Rick extended his left hand so that Alicia could find the correct size for him. He very nearly said "Last time we checked it was a nine" but he thought better of it. The fewer reminders of his relationship history the better.

That done, Rick made a circular motion with his finger around the two rings on the countertop. "Ok, Alicia, let's settle up."

"Excuse me, it will be two separate orders." Kate interjected. Rick's brow furrowed, and Alicia discretely busied herself organizing the stock under the counter.

"Kate, you know that's not necessary."

"No, it IS necessary for me. It's important that when I give you this symbol, _I_ am giving it."

He regarded her with a warm smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Ok, then. Alicia, you heard the lady."

When Alicia took her aside to discuss payment, it took every shred of her "never let them see you sweat" training for Kate to keep from reacting to the $1800 price on the order form. Fortunately living with Rick meant that all of her other expenses were taken care of, so two paychecks would easily pay this off.

Just as they were finishing up, Kate's phone rang.

"Beckett. Ok, where? Sorry, where, again? Really." She shot a glance in Castle's direction. "No. No need, I've got him right here. Did you catch us in the middle of WHAT? Hilarious, Ryan. I can still make traffic duty happen for you, you know." She snapped her phone shut. "We've gotta go. There's a body."

"Really, where?" Castle asked eagerly.

"You'll see. See, I can do cryptic, too."

* * *

They arrived at the Central Park horse barns a half hour later, after returning to the loft to change into 'crime scene appropriate' clothing. "Wow. Hoof pick in the eye . Gruesome. Guy's name wasn't Alan Strang, was it by any chance?" Castle joked.

Kate looked up from her notebook, a stunned expression on her face. "Holy crap, how did you KNOW that?"

Rick couldn't believe his ears. "Seriously?" he asked, excited.

"NO, Castle. God, you ARE easy. After all this time together, you still manage to forget. I read plays," she retorted, referring to Equus. "And the horses were Strang's victims , remember?"

"Actually" another voice spoke up, "there was an equine victim, too, just not today."

Kate turned to regard a new arrival. A man dressed in a blue plaid shirt, jeans and knee high rubber boots stood before them. "Hank Wellington, stable manager. One of the horses had to be brought to the veterinary clinic yesterday. It didn't make it. The horse was in fine shape, then it has a heart attack. Something's not right there."

Castle looked thoughtful. "A dead horse and a dead human within 24 hours? That can't be coincidence."

Kate picked up on his train of thought and addressed Hank. "We'll need to talk to the owner."

"You'll need a séance, then. That's him being loaded into your coroner's van."

Castle spoke up. "Did anyone seem to be more partial to the horse than others?"

Kate gave him a questioning glance. He explained. "When Alexis was little I brought her here sometimes to visit the horses. There was this one called Cinnamon that she used to pretend was hers. When she got big enough to ride it she was so excited. If someone had hurt that horse I know she'd have been crushed."

Hank appeared to be thinking. "Mostly Stacey, the daughter of the previous owners. They had to sell it thanks to the most recent economic downturn. There aren't many places to keep a horse in Manhattan, and it gets attention and exercise, so the new owner boarded it here. He was sort of an equine talent scout. He'd buy these horses, put them with a trainer, and sell the ones with race talent."

"We're going to want to talk to this Stacey, would you know her last name?" Kate inquired.

"Roberts. Poor kid. She even tried to work here to get some money knocked off the horses upkeep expense, but it wasn't enough, not with a full load of high school courses."

Kate saw the sadness in Rick's face. The father in him hated it when kids appeared to be involved in crimes.

When they brought the girl in for questioning, Kate stopped in front of the doorway to the interrogation room. In a rare display of affection, she put a hand on Rick's shoulder. Looking up into his eyes she said "You can sit this one out if you'd like. I think I've got it."

He nodded gratefully and went back to her desk, not even wanting to be in the viewing room.

Kate emerged less than an hour later. The look on her face told Rick all that he needed to know.

"She did it, huh?"

Kate nodded regretfully. "When Stacey stopped by to see the horse it was gone, but the owner was there and she asked him about it. He didn't seem upset that it had died, to him it was just a business asset."

"Which must have upset her…" he broke in.

Kate nodded and continued. "She'd heard rumors that the horses he was selling as having 'race talent' only got that way on the equine equivalent of steroids. When she pushed the issue he called it 'just an animal' and she snapped."

Rick winced, guessing what came next. "She was pissed, huh?"

"You could say that. She pushed him and a vial of Boldenone fell out of his pocket. She figured out he was doping her horse to pass it off as fast, he must have accidentally overdosed it. She told him she was going to tell the police and he threatened her. That's when she grabbed for the hoof pick. It was actually self defense, but it's just her word on that, and it doesn't look good that she ran."

Rick shook his head sorrowfully. "It's amazing what dominos greed can set into motion."

She looked at him and her heart broke a little. "You know what, the paperwork will keep until tomorrow. Let's go home."

He looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yes, really" she replied, lowering her voice " And if you're good, we can have another language lesson tonight."

"That is a blatant, transparent attempt to distract me."

Kate gave a small smile, gathering her purse and coat. "And?"

"I can hardly wait!"


	17. Chapter 17

**So SO sorry for the delay in updating. At first this story was clamoring to get out, now I have to go in and hunt for it. Anyway, I hope you find it worth the wait. WARNING: this earns the M rating.**

* * *

The ringing of Kate's phone could be heard over the bursts of static and chatter from the taxi's radio. She checked the caller ID and murmured "Lanie" before flipping it open. "Hi, what's up?"

The faint smile she was wearing disappeared completely, which worried Rick. He tried to piece together what was happening based on Kate's responses. "Really? That's interesting. How old was he again? Could you run a.. Oh you already ran the tox screen, of course. What were the results?" She cast a quick look in his direction, but then looked away, refusing to hold his gaze. Her voice softened. "I see. No, write it up. I'll have to talk to the DA in the morning. I was planning to anyway, this just changes the script. Thanks."

She closed her phone, still staring out the window, until she felt his hand on her knee. "Kate, what? You can't hide it from me, I'll find out eventually."

She sighed heavily. "Lanie took a closer look at our victim, and determined that the hoof pick caused a non-lethal injury. She did a full autopsy and found that the actual cause of death was cardiac arrest. He was too young for this to be normal, even in the middle of an altercation."

Rick groaned, not liking where this was going.

Kate continued. "So, she ran a tox screen and found Boldenone in his system. It was in his blood, but the largest concentrations were found in his mouth, throat and stomach. Looks like after he was down, she decided to give him a dose of his own medicine, shoved it down his throat. That elevates it from self defense to manslaughter." She watched Rick carefully as she finished. His eyes were closed, his head back against the seat.

The cab arrived at the loft and Rick paid without speaking, then headed inside. Kate followed him, realizing that some extraordinary measures would be needed to break him out of this funk.

* * *

Kate emerged from the bathroom wearing her robe. Underneath it was the item she had collected from the "special occasion" box in her lingerie drawer. She was surprised and mildly disappointed to find the bedroom empty. She ventured downstairs and found him in his office, staring blankly at his computer. He had changed into a t-shirt and sleep pants. As she watched, he sat back and closed his eyes, massaging the bridge of his nose. The sorrow fairly radiated from him.

She spoke from the doorway. "Uh-uh, keep your eyes on me" she commanded gently but firmly. He opened his eyes and she saw the question there. "As long as your eyes are on me, I know your focus is, too. You close your eyes, your brain goes anywhere it wants. Right now what you need is a vacation from your thoughts. Consider me your travel agent."

Rick smiled with more mirth than he actually felt. Though he was looking at her, she was wrong about one thing. His brain was still chugging away. After two marriages and endless publicity appearances, he had become adept at looking like he was paying attention, when really his mind was on other things. Mental multi-tasking, he liked to call it. Not that she wasn't worthy of his full attention, he just couldn't quite shake the sadness.

She stepped fully into the room and closed the door. She leaned against it and reached behind her, keeping her eyes trained on his. She was gratified to watch his gaze widen when he heard the click of the lock sliding home. She sauntered toward him, fiddling with the belt of her robe.

Just when he thought she would untie it, her hand drifted back up to play with the collar. She eased it apart enough so that he could see a black band of fabric around her neck, like a choker. Connected to it and continuing downward to disappear from his view was what appeared to be a panel of black fishnet mesh.

He cleared his throat and pointed at her, moving his finger up and down. "What's this? Looks like something from your 'make-up sex' collection, only we didn't fight." He cocked his head to the side and made a show of thinking. "We didn't, did we? Did I make such an ass of myself that you hit me hard enough to give me amnesia?"

She chuckled. "Make-up sex is only one occasion. There's also holidays and 'I want to make you feel better' days."

She loosened the belt of the robe so that the edges separated a little further. The mesh continued downward. As the robe eased open further, he noticed that there was bare flesh visible on either side of the mesh running down the center of her torso. It seemed to continue all the way down beyond her waist. She turned to the side and drew back one edge of the robe like a curtain, revealing her hip, thigh, calf. Dear God, the mesh encased her leg all the way to her toes, which were peeking out of alarmingly high heeled shoes.

As he watched, the robe pooled on the floor around her feet. His eyes traveled back up and he nearly choked. At that moment the cogs of his background mental process flew apart and skittered to the far corners of his mind. She owned a fishnet bodysuit? One with fabric missing in two very important places? The apex of her thighs was bare, as were her breasts. Holy. Shit. She had his attention now, for sure. This was the stuff of fantasies.

He started to speak, only to find that his mouth had gone dry. When his tongue finally loosened, he tried again. "You know, this is one of the many things I love about you. You _do_ keep me guessing."

She arched one eyebrow, silently contemplating what he had said. She decided to take things up another notch. She crooked one finger in a beckoning motion, and in her best Russian accent, commanded him.

"_Eedee cyouda! _Come here."

One of his eyebrows lifted so that his expression matched hers. There were a couple of different ways to play this. Comply immediately or resist, provoking her to escalate things? He realized the time he was taking to decide would be interpreted as resistance, and he was OK with that. "So Katya has come to play, has she?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, saying nothing. He rose from his chair unhurriedly and stood before her.

He softly spoke the phrase she had recently taught him. "_Shto ti hochesh, Katya? _What do you want?"

"It's not what I want, it's what I need…_mnye nado,_ to me it's necessary…"

"And what's that?" he asked, kissing her lightly, then pulling away before she could deepen it. His voice grew husky. "What's necessary, what do you need?"

She quickly caught on to the fact that he was trying to gain the upper hand. She smiled, and without breaking eye contact, reached down and grasped him intimately. She enjoyed watching his eyes widen again. "And all this time I assumed you knew. Haven't you made a study of what women want and need?" Her tone was innocence blended with challenge.

He stepped back a little, causing her to let go of him. He appraised her with twinkling eyes, contemplating his response. He licked his lips. "I know what my _Kate _usually wants. Katya seems to run on a different agenda.

She nodded and stepped forward so that she could put her hands up around his neck. "Let's see if you can figure it out." She leaned in for a kiss, and began to apply pressure to his shoulders. His lips left hers but kept as much contact with her body as possible, planting quick kisses on her throat and upper chest as he sunk lower. He allowed her to push him down to his knees. He wrapped his arms around her, marveling in the unique sensation under his hands. He could feel the heat of her skin, but over it was the soft, shifting mesh. He breathed in her scent, and grazed the underside of her breast with feather light kisses, until she was moaning softly and hunching forward, placing her nipples within range of his ministrations. He eagerly complied with her unspoken request. The moan got louder as he drew one pink peak into his mouth. He smiled and shifted away from her.

He sat back on his heels and looked up at her. Her expression was…perturbed. She put one hand on her hip. "Time for a new word!" He didn't often hear her growl like that…

He smiled serenely. "Which would be?" he prompted.

"_Davai!" _

"_Davai" _he repeated. "What's it mean?"

"Give me."

"So this is a word for one of your rare demanding moods, then."

She narrowed her eyes again. She couldn't decide if he was teasing her. "Which brings me to a word I should have taught you LONG ago. _Molchi. _Be quiet."

"You're right, I'm surprised that wasn't the first lesson. What…what are you doing?" he asked, as he watched her grab the seat cushion from one of the leather armchairs and toss it to the floor behind him.

"Seeing to your comfort, believe it or not."

"My comfort…"

"Yeah. Lay back."

"Wha- HERE?"

"Sit there and tell me with a straight face that NONE of your fantasies have taken place here in your office." His smirk was her answer. She nodded with satisfaction and pointed to the cushion. A little voice advised him against further argument, so he stretched out on the thick shag rug and rested his head and shoulders on the cushion. He felt relaxed but slightly on edge, trying to figure out what she was up to.

Kate gracefully lowered herself to the floor beside him. He held his arms out to her, but she shook her head, a wicked gleam in her eye. She rotated so that her head was pointed toward his legs. Then in a move that left him speechless, she rose up and arced her leg over his body, scooting backward so that she was kneeling on the cushion, legs on either side of his head.

Her nimble fingers made quick work of the buttons on the fly of his pants, and soon he felt a rush of sensations. Her warm fingers contrasted with the cool air of the office, and then…the heat of her mouth, like heaven. He reveled in it for a few seconds before turning his attention to what she had set before him. She had certainly gone above and beyond to create a scenario to distract him from his thoughts, and for that he was grateful. He intended to reward her richly.

She felt him shift slightly beneath her, pull her hips so that she was closer, then his lips and tongue went to work, seeking the areas that would give her the most pleasure. When he found a particularly sensitive spot, she moaned. The vibration of that felt so amazing he could barely stand it. He slid a finger into her slick heat, and felt an exponential jump in her enthusiasm. It seemed the more vigorous he was with her, the more energetic she became in response. They continued longer than he imagined was possible, the tension building, until she stiffened and let out a muffled squeal. His cry was her only warning as he, too found his release.

After a moment's rest, she carefully rolled off him and onto the floor. In another moment he found the strength to sit up. From there he stood , and pulled Kate up beside him. He retrieved her robe from the floor and helped her into it, his hands lingering on her waist as he tied the sash for her. After making sure he himself was appropriately concealed, he guided Kate into the kitchen and poured them each a glass of juice, then took her up their bedroom. Once she had extracted herself from the bodysuit and slipped into her pajamas, she lay down beside Rick. He propped himself up on an elbow and stared at her with wonder.

Suddenly, inexplicably bashful, she had trouble meeting his gaze. "What?" she finally asked.

"You. Just you. I am continually astonished at how lucky I am to have found you. I am grateful to you for finding me worthy of your love. I'm also grateful to whatever men there are in your dating past."

Her brow furrowed at that. He continued. "I'm grateful that they were too foolish or blind to see what an amazing woman you are, that they didn't do everything in their power to keep you in their lives, allowing me the chance to know you." His eyes slipped to the side for a moment, then he rolled away and fished a notepad and pen from the bedside table. He jotted some notes to himself, put the book away, and rolled back to her. She was staring at him, somewhere between bemused and irritated.

"Seriously, you're noting story ideas NOW?"

His smile was gentle, fearless. "Not story ideas, honey. Wedding vow notes. No writer worth his salt goes with that canned nonsense."

As they settled into sleep, Kate made a mental note to start working on her own wording.

* * *

Kate stood back from the mirror in awe. Lanie, Alexis, and Martha all beamed at her. They'd met at the seamstress' shop for a fitting of her wedding gown. She had decided to go with something strapless, gambling that Scotland in July would be warm enough for her comfort.

Lanie was first to recover. "Oh honey, it's amazing." Her eyes traveled across the snow white satin. The fitted bodice hugged her waist, then the fabric flared out over her hips, allowing freedom of movement.

Alexis stepped forward and reverently fingered the embroidered flowers with rhinestone centers. "Kate, it's SO pretty."

Martha nodded approvingly. "Very elegant, darling. That train will bustle up nicely" she said, indicating the expanse of lace trimmed satin. There was a row of satin covered buttons crossing her waist in the back, and the loops on the train were concealed within the embroidered pattern.

Kate admired the way the fabric of the bodice was gathered at the waist in a star-burst like pattern. As she studied the reflection, she noticed Martha coming up behind her, looking oddly misty-eyed. She turned, alarmed. "Martha, what's wrong?"

"Nothing at all, darling. Everything is quite right." Martha held out her hands, and Kate saw within them a flat box covered in burgundy velvet. Her brow furrowed.

"What's that?"

Martha's voice was uncharacteristically gentle. "Open it, dear."

Kate gasped when she opened the box and found a string of pearls. "Oh, Martha, no."

The older woman smiled. "These were my mother's. So now you have your 'something old'. We'll take care of 'new, borrowed and blue' later, but I thought it was a perfect opportunity, so you could see how they went with the dress."

Kate lifted the necklace out of the box and released the clasp. She held them up to her neck and met Martha's eyes in the mirror. "Could you…?"

"Of course." Rick's mother stepped forward and took the ends of the necklace from her, fastening the catch. "There. Perfect."

Casting a discrete glance at Alexis, Kate lowered her voice. Though it wasn't much of a secret how everyone felt about Meredith, she was still Alexis' mother. "There's one thing I don't quite understand… This will be Rick's _third_ wedding."

Martha made a pretense of fluffing the skirt so that she could lean in. "But the first one that counts, if you ask me. I never had a good feeling about Meredith OR Gina. I was gracious, really I was." Her smile was slightly catty when she continued. "I took care of the _borrowed_ in their instances. Just in case." She winked at Kate.

* * *

**_SO? Tell me what you think. I dearly love reviews, and, naturally, my reviewers. Please?_**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

In time honored tradition, the guys in Richard Castle's life were taking him out for one last night of debauchery before he settled into his domestic existence. Again. Of course, Rick's heart, not to mention a certain vital organ south of the equator, had belonged to Kate for quite some time, and he was approaching 40, not 20, so this affair would be significantly more dignified than his first bachelor party had been. There had been plenty of police presence at that one, too, but this time they were actually invited.

Rick mentally counted off the attendees. Esposito was due to pick him up at 7. Ryan and Roy (none of that 'Captain' crap tonight, he'd been cautioned) would be along at the end of the shift. Then there was Jim Beckett (dear God it _would_ be tame, how could he possibly live up to the Castle bad-boy reputation with his bride's father in attendance?) and even Patterson and Cannell were in town to attend. Lastly there was Chet, his father. He shook his head in amazement. It would take time to grow accustomed to that concept after all these years. Mayor Bob and Judge Markway had toasted (roasted, more like it) him at their private club. It really wasn't seemly for two gentleman and city officials who were referred to as "Your Honor" to be out carousing in any fashion.

The buzzer at the door broke through his reverie. Kate was coming down the stairs as he reached the entryway. He opened the door to admit a grinning Javier. They had been close ever since the Hispanic detective had introduced him as "my other partner".

"You ready to go, man?" His eyes flicked up to Kate. "Hey Beckett."

"So where are you off to tonight anyway?" she asked casually.

Esposito shook his head. "Sorry, Boss Lady, that's a 'need to know'. We haven't even told the guest of honor here."

"And I've used up all my lifelines guessing." Rick added this as he grabbed his jacket out of the closet. Kate completed the trip down the stairs.

"Ok then, have fun." She stepped forward to plant a kiss on him. She intended it to be fairly chaste, but Rick intensified things, and for a second they forgot themselves. Until Javier cleared his throat.

Rick pushed back to find Kate sporting a 'not in front of my subordinate-who's-like-a-brother' scowl. He pulled her back in to whisper "Whatever I encounter out there tonight, I remember who I'm coming home to."

Once she saw them off, Kate headed into the living room, debating how to spend her evening. Just then her phone rang. "Oh, hey Madison! No, you're not interrupting anything. Rick just headed out to his bachelor party. Yeah, a drink sounds great. Ok, sure, you know the address? Great. See you then."

Fifteen minutes later, Kate exited the lobby to find Madison waving from a taxi. She climbed in and was surprised to see Lanie on the other side of the pretty blonde and Karpowski up front. "Wait, what's going on?"

"Your bachelorette party, girl, so be quiet and enjoy." Lanie piped up. Before long they were pulling up outside of a club.

Kate's eyes widened. "Oh no, you guys, I couldn't." She was staring at a poster for Manhattan Men, a lesser known version of the Chippendales. Images of bare chests and rock-hard abs adorned the windows of the club.

Lanie and Karpowski hurried around the cab to grab her hands, while Madison pushed from behind. They ushered her inside, where they paid the cover fee. A bored looking woman rolled a rubber pad across each of their hands, but no image was left behind.

"I think your ink pad is dry" Karpowski remarked, prompting the door attendant to produce a pen light. When she waved it across their hands, the image of a bow tie glowed.

They found an empty table near the front, much to Kate's horror. They shouted their drink orders over thrumming bass music. Minutes later, the house lights dimmed and stage flood lights reflected off of shimmering silver curtains. The MC stirred the crowd and introduced the first act, "Rod the Bod". Kate would have loved to deny she was having fun, but her smile gave her away. She refused to feel guilty about it. Who didn't enjoy some eye candy? What better way was there to wrap up her single life? She would just sit back and enjoy the show like the other women.

She didn't notice Lanie sneaking a hand behind her head until it was too late and the tiara with the veil attached was plunked on her head. The dancer on stage noticed the action and started moving in her direction. He reached down and pulled her up on stage. 'My, he IS solid' she thought, as he maneuvered her into a Dirty Dance pose. Her so-called friends were howling with laughter and busily snapping pictures on their cell phones.

Then she noticed Lanie listening to her phone, rather than looking at it. The ME looked pissed, and was shaking her head vehemently. Finally she dropped her head in her hand. She closed her phone and shot Kate a look filled with regret, pointing to the door.

* * *

Rick sat beside Esposito, drumming his fingers on the armrest. "Come on, you're not really going to make me wait until we get there, are you?"

Esposito laughed. "There's that nine year old again. Sometimes I wonder whether or not I did a good thing by giving Beckett a kick in the tail. If you drive her crazy, she's gonna blame me. However, as it happens, your wait is over, 'cause we're here."

Rick glanced eagerly out the window. He saw a nondescript building. He scanned the other businesses in the area. Tailor, dry cleaners, bagel place, noodle place. He was confused. "We're _where_?"

"Right there, man." Esposito indicated the tan building with the purple awning.

An uneasy feeling built in Rick's gut. "Where did you say you heard about this place?"

"I didn't. Say, that is." The detective was being evasive, which did nothing to put Rick at ease.

He lost a trace of his good humor. "Javier. Who."

At least Esposito had the good grace to look chagrined. "Demming."

"Dem-" Rick's eyes narrowed. "What's this place supposed to be called?"

"Barracuda's"

"Sonofabitch." Rick didn't know whether to laugh or explode. "And did you check it out _at all_ beforehand?"

"Not really, you know we had that heavy caseload. Why?"

"Never mind. You'll see," Rick responded, massaging his temples.

"Why? You've heard of it?"

"Please, between research for writing and my…ahem…idle curiosities, there aren't too many clubs in the city I _haven't_ heard of. I'll grant you, this is rumored to be one of the best in its class"

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he could NOT play along with this. If the media got a hold of it, (which was likely, Paula told him the sharks had been circling for weeks looking for details on his bachelor party preparations) not only would his reputation take a hit, but Patterson, Cannell, pretty much everyone.

"Dude, I know you think Demming's a stand-up guy, but I've got to tell you, he screwed us on this one, figuratively speaking. Must still have hard feelings about Kate."

"What are you talking about?"

"This is the most well known _drag show _in the area! I can't…none of us should set foot in there."

Esposito gaped at him. "Well, that's really bad news, because the rest of the party is already IN there."

Rick looked at him, incredulous. "So, call them and get them out of there. We'll find something else, ANYthing else, but I just can't risk the tabloid coverage. Are Patterson and Cannell already in there, I wonder?"

Esposito shrugged, then slipped his phone out of his jacket. It rang in his hand. He glanced at the caller ID. "Ryan, probably wondering where we are….Hey partner" he said as he accepted the call. He listened for a minute. "Right outside actually, and Castle says you've all gotta come out of there….Yeah I know, he told me…. What do you mean you can't come out? Pay the tab and haul ass, man…."

Castle watched Esposito's eyes grow larger and larger. He was signaling to be clued in but he couldn't seem to get the other man's attention. "You've gotta be friggin' kidding me. CSU and Lanie en route? Ok, and Beckett? Ah. Ok, be right there." He snapped the phone shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. With a sidelong glance he said, "Well, man, I guess we're going in there after all."

Rick simply could not believe his ears. "No way, this is a joke, right, an elaborate hoax?"

"Wish it was, but you just can't make stuff like this up. Even YOU couldn't make something like this up. Now call your blushing bride and let her know that the wrong kind of stiff made an appearance at your bachelor party, and oh yeah, your guest list is also temporarily part of the suspect pool."

Gallows humor, but they both laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

* * *

The team, minus Ryan, gathered around the victim, identified by the bouncer as 'Dana' Marshall. It was hard to know whether to refer to it as "he" or "she". The body was dressed in a provocative evening gown of blue velvet studded with rhinestones. The eye makeup was expertly done, but the strong jaw line and the pancake makeup masking the five o'clock shadow betrayed the gender as male.

Kate spoke first. "What do we have, Lanie?" So that they could avoid ribbing from the guys, they had decided in the cab to keep their evening's failed escapade to themselves. Kate had asked to be let off a block away so it would not appear they were arriving together.

"I won't know for sure until I get him back to the morgue but I'm willing to hazard a guess that the cause of death was blood loss."

Kate eyed the stab wound to the stomach. "Really? Doesn't look like much…"

"Nah, honey, not from there. That only incapacitated him. The victim was a pre-op transsexual. Before you can ask how I know…" she pointed to the halter top of the gown. "Real breasts. Or really good implants. Anyway, someone tried to do the job for him." She lifted the hem of the gown and heard soft gasps from all of the guys. "Normally I leave motive up to you, but I'm thinking this was personal."

"Someone who got upset that they were having too good a time? I mean, if I had someone that looked like that hitting on me that turned out to be a dude…." Esposito shook his head, leaving the sentence unfinished. He stood up. "I'm going to go find out what sort of security surveillance they have here. We might get lucky."

"A wound like that would have hurt like hell. Nobody heard screaming?" Castle asked.

"The stomach wound most likely punctured the diaphragm, making it difficult to draw enough breath to be very loud. The music would have covered whatever sound there was." Lanie replied.

"That much blood loss, it had to have gotten on the killer's clothes. The bouncer said that no one has left in the past hour. So either our perp is still here, hiding, in bloody clothing, or had the opportunity to change." Kate looked Esposito up and down. "I take it your plans didn't involve anything that necessitated a change of clothes, so that clears your little party."

She scanned the crowd of patrons/suspects. "It's possible if the clothing was dark enough, we wouldn't see it."

Castle brightened and turned to Lanie. "What about one of those light source things? They'd detect blood, even on clothing, right?"

Lanie nodded. Not thinking, Kate asked one of the CSU technicians to use an ALS to screen suspects. When the tech turned it on, Kate's hand was in the path of the beam.

Rick spotted the glowing stamp at the edge of Kate's glove. He leaned in and spoke softly to Kate. "Anything you'd like to tell me about where you were when I called you?"

She looked over her shoulder at him. "Home, where else? And how bizarre was it, you calling ME about a body?"

"So that's how you're going to play it?" he asked with a smile. "And the music I heard in the background was…what, again?"

Kate pressed her lips together with irritation. She opened her mouth to respond, when Rick extended his index finger and nudged the cuff of the glove aside to reveal the rest of the bow tie image on the back of her hand.

He arched one eyebrow at her, watching her blush right to her hair line. Grinning with satisfaction, he nodded and walked away.

None of the patrons were found to have blood on them, so after their statements were taken, they were released. Castle sent "his" party back to his and Kate's apartment to wait. Ryan and Roy, now able to join the investigation, brainstormed with the rest of the team. They opted to question all of the performers there at the club.

Most of the performers had been in the dressing room together preparing for the show, and thus had been able to alibi one another. When Kate asked questions about relationships between the performers, most were tight-lipped. One, however, was more forthcoming, especially since he was a card carrying member of the Castle fan club. 'Terry' was not subtle about his crush. Rick smiled politely. It was one thing to capitalize on a fan girl's idolatry to extract information, but a fan _boy_? It didn't even help that he was already in costume. He might look like a 'Jane' in that leopard skin, but Rick could not forget he was really 'Tarzan'.

Still, Rick soldiered on. "Was Dana involved with anyone?"

"Yes, until just recently he had a thing going with Jamie. Those two were intense."

Kate spoke up. "Where can we find this Jamie?"

Terry barely acknowledged her. His eyes on Rick, he said "Behind the bar. We all take turns."

As much as Kate was enjoying Rick's discomfort, she had to let him off the hook. As they turned to go, she made an obvious grab for his ass, with a sly glance at Terry to let him know Castle was spoken for.

Rick jumped a little until he looked down and saw what she'd done. He smiled warmly.

Kate replied to his silent message. "You want to thank me? DON'T ask about the stamp."

When they reached the bar, they found the attendant looking shaky and tearful. With close cropped hair and smooth features, 'Jamie' suited his androgynous name. Watching more closely, he seemed clumsy, and when Kate inhaled deeply she realized he had been serving himself from the bar. Vodka, from the smell of it. They asked him to step into one of the private rooms, and when the questioned him he cracked like an egg. He confessed that he'd felt betrayed when Dana had broken up with him that night, citing his impending embrace of his feminine lifestyle. Unable to take the rejection, he'd lashed out.

They sent Jamie to the precinct with the uniforms. Kate and Lanie texted Madison and Karpowski to reunite and finish their evening. Since the stamp was still valid, they re-entered the club and caught the late show. After her third appletini, Kate decided to crash on Lanie's couch, sending a sloppy text to her betrothed: 'Don wiat up…giryl seepover' . 

Rick had gone home to play some poker with the guys, having no inclination for a wilder night. When his phone bleeped, he checked the message and almost fell over. Talk about role reversal! He sent a reply text. 'Have fun. Just don't get any souvenirs that have a pulse…'


	19. Chapter 19

_******Ok, so, fair warning, this chapter is one of the darker and more angst-y ones. I know we have the wedding coming up, but this story was rattling around in my head and refused to leave. **_

****

The next morning, Kate staggered in nursing a small hangover. Remembering what she had done for him, Rick tended to her. When she voiced a desire to crawl into bed, he winced. "Sweetie, I would love to let you do that, but we have company coming in half an hour." At her mild look of horror, he continued. "We're meeting with Christy to finalize wedding details, remember?"

Kate shuddered. Christy was sweet, perky and too much to deal with at the moment. "Ok, let me go shower, I will be down as soon as possible."

When Kate descended the stairs a bit later, she could hear Christy's enthusiastic tones. "Alright, so that's the flowers, transportation, the hotel. The Balmoral has a world class pastry chef doing your cake, in the design we sent them. The menu is set, Salmon , Prime Rib or Fusili Alfredo. Open bar, champagne toast." At the mention of a bar, Kate groaned, and evidently not as quietly as she hoped, based on the two heads swiveling in her direction.

Rick rose and pulled out a chair for her, then poured her a cup of coffee from the urn on the table. She murmured her thanks and settled at the table, looking at the notepad before Christy. "You've arranged for the violinist for the ceremony?" Kate asked.

Christy nodded. "Yes, Alexis was of some help there. Her tutor Dylan was able to give me a recommendation, someone based in the UK. Let's see….Pictures will be taken care of by Paula's staff photographer. I've booked a DJ/MC for you, someone well versed in American music. He has the songs you requested. So that should do it. You have your airline reservations, yes?"

Rick nodded. "Yes, my travel agent sent them over. I understand the two of you have gotten quite friendly…" he teased her.

Christy blushed a bit. "Mark's a nice guy, what can I say? Anyway, I will see the two of you in Scotland in less than a week."

Rick saw her to the door, then turned to look at Kate, hunched over her coffee.

"So…" She flinched at his voice and he lowered the volume accordingly. "You didn't tell me you had plans last night, too."

"That's because I didn't have _plans_. I had an ambush."

"And what? Karpowski used her off-duty piece to force you into Manhattan Men?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, then lifted her hand and started counting on her fingers. "First, how did you know Karpowski was there? Second, how exactly do YOU know what the Manhattan Men stamp looks like? Third, why are we even discussing this? It was my understanding that I got a 'get out of interrogation free' card in exchange for the VERY public display that reminded pretty much everyone in the room that you're with me."

Castle smiled, undaunted by her barrage of questions. "To respond in sequence: I happened to glance over Lanie's shoulder and saw who she sent the text to. As for the club…" he shuddered, "I had to rescue them from my mother once. The bow tie insignia is everywhere."

Kate waited for the answer to the last question. "And?" she demanded.

He leveled a look designed to make her squirm. "And you forfeited your pass when you went BACK there. No way they got you there involuntarily TWICE."

* * *

The following Monday Kate and Rick went into the precinct together. Kate needed to complete her share of the paperwork on the Dana Marshall case, but she had barely opened the file when she heard Montgomery's voice from the edge of the bullpen. "Beckett, Castle, could I see you in my office please?"

They exchanged a look before rising. Ordinarily Rick would follow her anyway, unless the Captain gave him an indication that the meeting was to be private. But to be specifically summoned with her? Rick had an uneasy feeling of foreboding. It only intensified when, once they had crossed the threshold, he closed the door behind them.

"Have a seat." The captain gestured toward the couch.

They lowered themselves onto the couch warily. "What's this about, Captain?"

Montgomery sighed before beginning. "Nelson Gregory." Rick saw her stiffen at the mere mention of the name.

"Oh God, he's not out, is he?"

"No, nothing like that. A road construction crew rebuilding a culvert out on Long Island found human remains. The tool marks on the bones are a dead-on match to Gregory's victims. This is apparently one we didn't know about. They've tried running DNA, no matches. We need to know who this girl was, so that we can give her family closure."

Kate started shaking her head vehemently before he was even finished speaking. "He says he'll only talk to you, face to face."

"Sir with all due respect, I can't. I..I barely survived the last encounter with him. Or have you forgotten this?" she demanded, pointing to the faint scar along her jaw line.

Rick had wondered about that, even asked about it once. They had lain together in the afterglow of an especially intimate lovemaking session, and he had traced his finger along the thin line that began just under her ear. _"Care to share the story behind this?" _he had whispered. To his shock she had shut him out.

"_No. Some day I will tell you all about it, but right now I'm not ready." _When he had tried to pursue the matter further, she'd rolled away from him, reaching for her robe. "_Please, Rick, don't push. Not about this."_

"Beckett, he can't hurt you again. He'll be in four point shackles."

She shook her head again. "What's going to stop him from messing with my mind? No, forget it."

"I could make it an order…"

"Yes, sir, you could."

At this, Roy looked over her head and met Rick's eyes. Kate stared at first one then the other, trying to read what was passing silently between them. The captain's entreaty met…caution. The two men had become friends through their weekly card games, and evidently, allies.

"Oh no you DON'T!" she spat. "Don't you DARE try and pull the man-to-man thing!" Glaring at her boss, she pointed in Rick's direction. "He may be a lot of things to me, but one thing he is NOT is my _keeper._ This is the damned 21st century. I let the two of you gang up on me once, during the Scott Dunn case, but don't think you're going to make it a habit."

Rick interrupted. He'd heard something in her voice, barely discernible, but…"Would one of you please tell me what's going on? Because if I'm being asked to take sides here, I'd really like to know why. Who the hell is Nelson Gregory?" This he addressed directly to Kate, his hand on her shoulder.

She rounded on him, breaking the contact, and he nearly took a step back when he saw the anger in her eyes. Ignoring his questions, she focused on the statement instead. "Take sides? You need to gather information to decide which _side_ to take?"

There it was again, just a subtle trembling. As if the fact that she was flirting with insubordination wasn't enough to clue him in that this was major. The anger was masking fear, maybe even terror. "Hey" he began softly, "I have your back, partner, now and forever. Can you tell me what _we_ are facing?"

Kate swallowed, her eyes threatening to well up. "Gregory was my first serial case. He would meet young women at 12 step groups, AA or NA. He'd gain their trust by playing the 'father figure' most of the women were lacking. Once he convinced them to meet him one-on-one, he would abduct them, rape them, slit their throats, chop them up and dump them."

Rick made a low growl of disgust, wanting to tell her to stop, but held his tongue. She continued. "When the girls went missing, it was assumed they'd fallen of the wagon. Because of the anonymity, and the sheer number of meetings, he could move from one to another, always changing hunting grounds. It took months to establish the pattern. We finally noticed that all the victims had 30 day or better chips among the personal effects."

She allowed herself a small smile. "Oddly enough, my dad helped out. He goes to several different meetings, so I was able to show him some of the pictures of the victims and he remembered a few of them talking to the same guy. Without a last name or anything to go by, I went undercover. Nelson made contact. I agreed to meet with him at a coffee shop, and he invited me to his place."

Kate stopped, drawing a deep breath and shaking her head. "My 'backup' _lost _me. Gregory caught me off guard, knocked me out, bound me. He found my shield in my purse. He taunted me about how he'd outsmarted a cop. He cut me a little at a time, so I'd know my life was in his hands."

Rick's horrified gaze flew to Roy's face, but the Captain refused to look at him. Clearly her superior was starting to regret making Kate relive all this. His attention was drawn back to Kate as she spoke again.

"Somehow, by some miracle, my scream caught the attention of someone passing by, who called 911. Gregory got away, but with every cop in the city armed with the sketch I helped create, they finally got him and we put him away." She turned to address Montgomery. "And now you want me to face him again."

Rick cleared his throat, where the next obvious question seemed stuck. "Were you…did he…?" He looked at her, desperate to have her understand what he wanted to know but could not bring himself to actually ask. Had she been violated?

Kate waited for him to complete the thought, searching his face for an idea of what he was thinking. Suddenly it came to her, whether by mental link or because of the flicker of revulsion she saw in his eyes. She shook her head slowly. "No. He was actually just about to, that's why I was screaming. So. Now you know the whole story. What do you think?"

"I think WE should talk to him. Let me use my writer status as leverage, get him to open up under the guise of research. Maybe even convince him I'll write a book about him, make him feel like he's more interesting than you. That ought to be something his ego won't be able to resist."

Kate looked at Roy for his input. "It's a damn good plan."

She sat, playing out scenarios in her head. Finally she nodded. "Okay," her voice barely audible. "I'll…_we'll_ do it."

* * *

They arrived at the prison and entered the visitation room. The clanking of Nelson Gregory's cuffs and shackles preceded him through the doorway. The guards flanking him pushed him roughly into the chair. Gregory made a show of leering at her, before sparing Rick a curious glance.

"Mr. Gregory…" Kate began, not wanting to grant him the respect that 'mister' conveyed, but categorically refusing to address him by his first name lest it seem too familiar. "I understand you've been asked to provide the identity of one of your victims."

Gregory ignored her statement and gestured to Rick with his chin. "Who's he?"

Kate gave Rick a casual sidelong glance. "This is Richard Castle. He's a writer, doing research."

"Castle. Oh right the Nikki Heat book. Well, buddy, you sure picked a good last name for the character. She sure is hot stuff." Another leer accompanied the statement.

It took every ounce of the self control that Rick possessed not to reach across the table and gouge the man's eyes out. It was critical that they play their parts convincingly. They were taking a calculated risk, if Gregory knew they were so personally connected, the whole plan might fall apart.

"And now I hear you're going to marry her."

They exchanged startled glances. There went that idea.

"What, you think we don't get newspapers in here? I've made it my business to keep tabs on Katie here. After all, she's the one that got away. You're a very lucky man, she's a sweet piece." Gregory chuckled darkly as he caught Rick's involuntary glance in her direction.

"Oh, she didn't tell you about that, did she? I wonder why?" His voice trailed off suggestively.

Kate flinched but held her ground, despite her desperate wish to find a good place to vomit, then maybe a corner to curl up in. "I'll ask you again. Melville, the industrial park. Who was she? You're already serving life, one more charge isn't going to have any effect on you."

Her questions were met with silence. "Come on now, I thought you wanted to talk to me, so talk."

When Gregory still refused to answer, Rick spoke up. "Listen, so we haven't _wasted_ a trip here" he sent a not-so-subtle annoyed look in her direction, "how about if you answer a few of my questions?"

Gregory scoffed. "Why should I? You're not a cop."

"No, like she told you, research. I'm always on the lookout for a good story. I've even been toying with the idea of branching out into true crime. If I can find a compelling topic, that is. I get bored so easily…" He slanted another look sideways.

Kate rose to his challenge. She folded her arms and glared at him. "Branching out? When were you gonna tell me about this? And since when do you have time for another project?"

Rick ignored her, raising an eyebrow at Gregory to prompt a response.

"Compelling how?" Gregory asked, starting to take the bait, smirking at Rick's apparent dismissal of Kate's questions.

"Well, it would have to be about a really clever criminal, a complex person that the readers would be fascinated by. Somebody like that, readers want to know what make them tick. They eat that stuff up."

Rick was gratified to see Gregory shift in his chair, lean forward ever so slightly. "What, you want to hear all about my childhood, pulling the wings off little birdies and shit like that? I hate to disappoint you, but we don't all start out that way."

"Excuse me!" Kate butted in. She poked Rick on the arm. "I asked you a question!"

"Yes, I heard you." He replied with thinly veiled patience. "Paula did some market research, it seems that a Nikki Heat sequel may not be as well received as we thought. If I find another, hotter prospect, I might be convinced to shelve the Heat series for a while."

"I see. Well, since you two seem so cozy, I'll just be going then." She gathered her things and huffed out of the visiting room.

Rick reached into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved his notebook and pen, clicking the pen for emphasis. "Now, you were saying?"

* * *

Kate strode down the hall and entered a conference room where Esposito was sitting with the warden. "Is he on?" she asked.

"Yeah, but he almost wasn't. If he clicks the stupid pen one more time he's gonna wear out the power switch, and we won't have any recording."

Kate chuckled and sat down to listen. It took an hour or so, Rick milking Gregory for details. It was astounding, but before long the author had the serial killer rattling off names, locations, everything. The guy really loved to brag. "Oh and there was this one little honey. Met her at a meeting at the public library in Plainview."

Kate's ears perked up. Plainview was near Melville, and none of the other known victims were found within 30 miles.

"Go on." Rick urged. He had read the victim list and familiarized himself with the distribution, too.

"Tiffany. Started hitting her parents' liquor cabinet when she was 12. Father was a workaholic, a lawyer in one of those fancy firms. Redman, Petrosky, Wolk. That was her, Redman. Tiffany Redman."

"No one on the victim list by that name, we might have him." Kate pulled out her phone and made a call. "Hey, Ryan, check missing persons for a Tiffany Redman. Really, how long ago? Ok good." She snapped her phone closed triumphantly, then opened it again to send a text.

'Mission accomplished. Come to Mama'

* * *

In the visitation room, Rick discretely slid the phone out of his pocket and checked the text. He smiled faintly and pushed back his chair, putting the notebook away. "You know, I think I have everything I need for now. I'll be in touch if I think I can sell my publisher your story"

He walked out of the room, leaving Gregory dumbfounded as to the change of heart. He strode down the hall to the conference room, where he eyed Kate mildly. "Ready?"

She nodded and they exited the prison together. Once they were clear of the gates, Kate pulled the car over and set the emergency brake. She leaned over the center console and grabbed one of Rick's lapels in each hand, pulling him in for a passionate kiss. She finally drew back, but only by inches.

"You. Were. Amazing." She punctuated each word with a kiss. "If you ever get 'bored' with writing, you should consider following in your mother's footsteps."

"Toughest part was acting like I _didn't_ want to kill him." His eyes roamed over her face. "How hard it must have been for you to go through that. I can understand why you didn't want to talk about it, to relive it. But we are just days away from being married, spending the rest of our lives together. I need you to know that whatever terrors haunt you, you DON'T have to deal with alone, ever again."

She nodded, brushing away tears. "Ok, let's go home."

* * *

**_See what I meant? Don't worry, the sun will most definitely come out in the next chapter. It's already partially written, but reviews do motivate me SO well, so...Please? Tell me what you thought!_**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

The day before the wedding, the entire party checked into the Balmoral Hotel.

"Ah, yes the Beckett/Castle party. Welcome to Edinburgh. I trust your flight was pleasant?" At their nods the clerk continued. "The young lady who made the reservations arranged for garment service. Once you have unpacked, ring the desk and we will send someone up to collect your formal wear. It will be steamed and returned to you this evening. The east wing of the 5th floor has been reserved for your group. Colin, please show Mr. Castle and his party to their rooms."

The bellman obtained a cart and loaded all of their luggage. They followed him into the elevator, which took them up to their floor. His first stop was the bridal suite. Rick started to grab for his bag only to be stopped by an authoritative throat clearing.

"Nuh uh, Castle, we talked about this already. Is the guy who was scared of a mummy's curse really going to thumb his nose at tradition and risk the bad luck? No viewing of the bride until just before, remember? Go bunk with the boys."

This, naturally, was delivered by Kate. In Rick's head the motors on the charm machine were firing up, but a glance at Lanie and Alexis, mirror images with hands on hips, told him he would not be able to talk, cajole, or seduce Kate out of this one. He stepped back while his daughter and Lanie motioned toward their luggage and the bellman dutifully trundled everything into the rooms.

Rick sulked in the hall. Kate almost took pity on him and relented, but the sleeping arrangements had been set. She stepped out to join him and took his hands in hers. "We have the rest of our lives together. One night won't kill you. Why don't you go explore the city. Find the good spots to take me tomorrow night. Just DON'T be late for dinner."

Castle nodded, kissed her softly, then followed the bellman down to Ryan and Esposito's room. The uniformed man placed Rick's bags on the table, even hung the suit bag with the tux in the closet, before turning to Rick with a friendly smile.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?" Rick shook his head. "If I may be so bold, sir, I could not help but overhear the lady. May I suggest you investigate Observatory Hill? The views are quite spectacular." Rick thanked and tipped the bellman, who then saw himself out.

Rick looked around, wondering what to do with himself. Judging by the dual sets of luggage already present, the boys were around somewhere. Might as well follow Kate's suggestion, and maybe he'd run into them on the way.

* * *

As soon as Kate and the girls got unpacked and arranged for their dresses to be picked up, they headed downstairs to the spa. They had pre-booked appointments for hot rock massages, facials, and mani/pedicures.

Kate let go with a blissful sigh as the masseuse glided the warm oiled rocks over her skin. She could hear Lanie's contended moaning as she received her facial, while Alexis giggled during the foot massage that came with her pedicure. Apparently she shared her father's ticklishness. They rotated through the various treatments, finally ending up side-by-side at manicurist tables.

That much buffing and primping took the better part of the afternoon, so when it was over they headed upstairs to change for their rehearsal dinner. They returned to the lobby and entered the restaurant, where a small private function room had been booked for them. They nibbled at a tray of hors'dourves and chatted with Chet and Martha.

Jim Beckett arrived and approached Kate for a hug. "Just think, tomorrow this time, you'll be an old married lady." He teased her, but his look spoke of deeper feelings. He pulled her aside for a private chat. "I want you to know how happy I am for you. Mom would be over the moon."

The arrival of Judge Markway, who had obtained special licensing to officiate at the wedding overseas, saved her from the mushiness that was threatening. "Detective Beckett. I can't tell you how honored I am to be signing something for you besides a warrant."

Ryan and Esposito filed in next, descending on the snack tray like locusts. Kate chided them with a mock-motherly tone. "Now, boys, save your appetite for dinner." She checked her watch and looked anxiously into the foyer of the restaurant.

Esposito noticed the move. "Don't worry, he'll be here. It's not like he flew you 3000 miles to stand you up."

Forty five minutes later, after enough texts and calls to Rick's phone from the assembled group to short out a satellite, he came jogging into the room, looking sweaty and disheveled. And sheepish, very sheepish.

"Call off the search, I'm here." He panted, out of breath.

"Where the hell have you been?" Kate demanded. "When I told you not to be late, I was joking. I figured between your phone and your _watch_, you couldn't possibly lose track of time."

"You figured wrong?" he answered tentatively. Kate's glare told him she wasn't buying it. "You're really going to make me tell, huh?"

"No, Castle, don't worry about it. It's only our wedding rehearsal. Why should you be honest about why you nearly missed it?" she snapped.

"Well, since you put it that way…" he answered miserably. "I was stuck."

Kate waited for him to elaborate. When he didn't, she prompted him. "Stuck. Stuck HOW?"

"I went to the Edinburgh Dungeon. It's one of those history-museum-meets-funhouse things. I went on one of the tours, only I wandered off and was fooling around with one of the props. Accidently got myself locked in the Iron Maiden. I yelled for help but no one could hear me over the sound effects machine and the other guests screaming. It wasn't until they were closing down that someone finally heard me and let me out…."

"Why didn't you call somebody?"

"Because all that metal makes for a very effective signal shield. My phone was trying so hard to lock onto a signal, the battery died." He held up his phone, the display dark, as evidence.

Kate pinned him with an exasperated look. "I told you to go find someplace nice to take me tomorrow night, and you went to a _dungeon?"_

"Well, no, I found a good spot for that, thanks to the bellman. Then I went wandering around, doing research. Really, did you think the 'Master of the Macabre' was going to be able to resist checking out a city with such a long and bloody history?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, trying for the irresistible charm that had drawn her to him in the first place.

She softened, slightly, and turned to Esposito. "Javier, as best man, I ORDER you to keep an eye on him tonight." She grabbed Castle by the shirt front and pulled him in close so that no one would overhear. "I brought the leash, DON'T force me to use it."

The way his eyes widened and his mouth gaped slightly made everyone chuckle and wonder what the normally reserved Beckett could possibly have said to render the irrepressible Castle speechless.

* * *

Kate woke up and stretched. A funny fluttery feeling in her stomach reminded her that it was her wedding day. She had a far-off look as she contemplated what the day would be like. Her attention was drawn to the present by a knock at the door. A peek through the spy hole revealed a uniformed staffer standing beside a cart.

When she opened the door, she was greeted with "Good morning. Breakfast is served, compliments of Mr. Castle."

"Of course." Kate muttered, as the cart was rolled in. "Lanie! Lex! Breakfast!" she called.

Alexis emerged from her room rubbing her eyes. "You ordered breakfast? With everything on your mind?"

"No, evidently _your father _decided to take care of it. Which, although sweet, was unnecessary. Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean my brain is going to go so mushy that I am incapable of ordering eggs, for crying out loud!"

Alexis grinned. "You should know Dad better by now. You barred him from making major arrangements by hiring the wedding planner. You had to know he was going to find a way to participate in this."

Kate nodded grudgingly, while Lanie sat and chortled around her croissant. "What was it Esposito said when Castle started following you? 'A control freak like you with something you can't control is more fun than shark week'?"

As they were finishing breakfast, another knock sounded. Kate groaned. "Oh no. What's he done this time?"

Alexis went to answer the door and returned leading a hair stylist and a make-up artist from the spa downstairs. She looked sheepishly at Kate. "Dad insisted, I guess."

When the knocker sounded for a third time, Lanie went to answer it, throwing "Writer boy has turned this place into Grand Central" over her shoulder. She ushered the photographer that Paula had sent into the room, then went to get the door again, this time returning with a grinning Christy. The wedding coordinator was carrying a box from the florist.

For the next two hours the room was a hive of activity, with the three women rotating through getting dressed and having their hair and make-up fussed over. The photographer captured candid shots and a few posed ones.

Kate donned Martha's pearls. "There, that's the old, and the dress certainly qualifies as new…" she told her reflection and everyone in earshot.

Alexis shyly stepped forward and held out her hand. "Dad gave me this bracelet for my sweet 16. Wear it as your 'borrowed'?" Kate's eyes welled up as Alexis affixed the gold chain to her wrist.

"Good thing I went with the smudge proof mascara, aye?" the make-up artist commented, dashing at her own eyes.

Kate took a safety pin and put her mother's sapphire ring on it, then pinned it inside the bodice of her dress, close to her heart. She stepped to the mirror and considered her reflection. Not for the first time, she wished her mother could be with her.

They were all ready to go when the phone rang. "Ms. Beckett, your transportation has arrived" a voice crisply informed her.

Christy placed all of the bouquets back in the box and carried it down so that Lanie and Alexis had their hands free to carry the train. When they arrived downstairs, Kate's jaw dropped. "He _didn't"_ she hissed. She shot a scalding look at Christy. "We agreed on a _car!_"

Christy shrugged helplessly. "Yes I know, but he can be extremely persuasive when he wants something." There before the doors to the hotel was a horse drawn carriage. A _two horse_ drawn carriage, to be more precise.

Kate turned back to look at Christy again. "How did he persuade you?"

Christy blushed. "He promised to make the arrangements for my first date with Mark."

She had extended her arm and was offering a piece of paper to Kate. _"What woman doesn't want a fairy tale? See you soon. Love, Rick_"

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_**Oh, I know...I'm so mean, making you wait for the actual wedding like this. You'll just have to be generous with the reviews to motivate me to get the next chapter up. ;**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Rick stood in the courtyard of the 12th century fortress known as Edinburgh Castle. Behind him, a low wall provided a breath-taking panoramic view of the city and, far in the distance, the Atlantic Ocean. To his right stood Judge Markway. On his left were Javier and Kevin, fidgeting in their tuxes. Seated before him was a small collection of their friends and family. He was experiencing an odd sort of déjà vu.

"You ok, man?" Javier's question brought his focus back.

"Third time's the charm, right?"

The clip-clop of hooves on cobblestone drew his gaze down the ramp. He grinned as he saw the carriage coming into view. He sincerely hoped Kate didn't try to kill him on their wedding night for sending it. Two snow white horses pulled the gilded frame. The driver stopped the carriage and a footman descended from the rear and opened the door. On cue the violinist raised her bow, and the strains of Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' began to drift across the courtyard.

The footman extended his gloved hand to grasp the fair, delicate one of his daughter. Alexis was garbed in lavender, a floral head wreath adorning her strawberry blonde locks, with ribbons trailing from it and woven into her curls. She stepped onto the white runner that had been rolled out, exchanged an excited grin with her father, and traveled up to stand on the other side of the judge.

Next Lanie Parish appeared, dressed in a plum color more suited to her age and skin tone. She, too, made her way up and stood between Alexis and Markway, giving Castle a little wink on the way.

Jim Beckett, in a tuxedo and tails, strode forward to take the footman's place. He handed Kate out of the carriage and hugged her, before placing her hand in the crook of his elbow. Kate carried a bouquet of white and lavender roses.

Rick's breath caught in his throat. The memories of his two previous marriages vanished like tissue paper on the wind. His Kate was…stunning. He caught her eye as she approached with her father, and grinned like a fool. She smiled almost shyly and ducked her head, self conscious. She completed the walk with her father, who kissed her cheek and placed her hand in Rick's.

Now she looked up, meeting his gaze, a lovely blush on her cheeks. For a moment it seemed to be just the two of them. They faintly registered the "Dearly beloved" rigmarole. He saw the briefest moment of melancholy in her eyes as her father formally 'presented' her to him, and he knew it was because she was longing for her mother's presence. He squeezed her hand and made a silly face to break her out of it. He figured it was worth the risk of her getting mad at him for goofing off if it stopped her from being sad.

The judge spoke up. "It has been my pleasure to know these two since before they were engaged. The night she joined our poker game, we all watched the sparks fly back and forth, and we knew it was just a matter of time before she made an honest man out of him. Since our current surroundings are hardly traditional, it will come as no surprise that they opted to write their own vows. Rick?"

Castle nodded, swallowed and licked his lips. "Ever since you walked into my life, crashing my release party, nothing has been the same, and for that I will forever be grateful. I vow to bring as much variety to your life as you've brought to mine. I promise to keep saying and doing things to make your life fun, even at the risk of bodily harm if I cross the line. I give you my heart, and with it, the embrace of the loving arms of my family. I will spend the rest of our lives proving myself worthy of your love."

Kate smiled at him and blinked rapidly to banish the tears that were threatening to spill over. She began the speech she had been rehearsing for a week. "You have the right to remain silent…when it is likely you will put your foot in your mouth. When I am hurting, anything you say can and will strengthen the bonds of marriage. You have the right to have a florist and a chocolatier on retainer for when you screw up. If you cannot afford them, well, then, we're both in trouble. You have the right to expect my unwavering love and support through every struggle. You have the right to days filled with joy and nights filled with passion. You have the right to my heart, now and always. Do you understand these rights as I've told them to you?"

Rick's nod was solemn, but his eyes had the trademark twinkle and crinkle. They could both hear their guest chuckling quietly at her cleverness.

Judge Markway spoke again. "This is the time in the ceremony for the giving and receiving of rings."

As rehearsed, Rick accepted the band from Esposito. Unable to resist a bit of ad-libbing, he lifted Kate's hand to his lips for a kiss before sliding the ring on her finger. "With this ring I thee wed," he repeated after the Judge. He dropped his voice to a whisper. "Now you're stuck with me."

Kate grinned and turned to her maid of honor. Lanie slid the gold and platinum band off her thumb and handed it to Kate, who slipped it onto Rick's finger. She held his gaze as she softly said "With this ring, I…thee…wed."

"Having exchanged rings and having made your promises before God and these witnesses, I now pronounce you Husband and Wife. You may kiss the bride." They stepped toward one another at the same time, closing the small gap between them. His hand came up to cup her face before sliding around to the back of her neck. His other hand found the small of her back, and as he kissed her, he twisted so that she dipped into his arms. She hooked the back of his neck for support. He broke the kiss, grinning, before finally setting her upright. A chorus of cheers and whistles erupted from their guests.

The judge had to raise his voice to be heard. "May I be the first to present: Mr. and Mrs. Richard Castle!


	22. Chapter 22

******Ok, ladies and gentlemen, this is IT. This is the final chapter of Bridges. I have been playing with the idea of a fourth story, continuing the arc. Please leave me your feedback and let me know if you'd be interested... **

******Happy Reading!**

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The carriage that had transported Kate and the girls to the ceremony now held only the newly married couple. Chauffer driven cars would carry the rest of the bridal party back to the Balmoral, where there would be a small dinner reception.

Kate found that she was actually giddy. She recognized the feeling from the days of her youth, when life was simpler. She kissed her new husband (how long before _that_ stopped sounding weird?) for the second, third and fourth time on the short ride back to the hotel. They broke apart only to wave when they heard appreciative cheers and whistles from pedestrians.

Though she'd naturally been pre-occupied on the way over, and was certainly distracted now, she had enough presence of mind to notice her surroundings, or, more to the point the fact that they looked unfamiliar. With that she felt the carriage tilt backward as they ascended a large hill. She threw a questioning glance Rick's way.

"Just another little surprise." When they reached the top he gestured out the window and she gasped.

They were on another of the city's highest points, and the view was spectacular in every direction. As she turned in a circle she noticed the photographer emerging from a car near them. "Rick thought this would be a good spot for some of your photos."

"What about the rest of the party?" Kate asked.

Rick held up one finger to the photographer and pulled Kate aside. "We can have all of the standard formal poses with them during the reception. This is about us. Call me selfish, but I just married the most incredible woman in the world, and I'm not quite ready to share her yet. Ok?"

Speechless, Kate nodded and wound her fingers around his. She pulled him in for a tender kiss. "You do have to share me with her…" she whispered in his ear, noting that he got the same little shiver that his whispers gave her. When he pulled back and furrowed his brow at her, she tilted her head toward the photographer waiting discretely. He grinned and they made their way back over.

They were captured in various 'candid' shots, just walking around. They posed for others with the city as a backdrop, the photographer pausing now and then to artfully arrange the train of Kate's dress.

Checking his watch, Rick regretfully extended his hand to Kate and guided her to the carriage so that they could make their entrance at the reception. He sent a text to Javier when they pulled up in front of the hotel.

The doors to the ballroom swept open as if by magic as they approached. Lively music heralded their arrival, followed by a robust round of applause. Never had any red-carpet walk felt a tenth as good to him as entering the throng of their friends and family with his _wife_ beside him.

Kate felt his warm, strong hand wrapped around hers. If anyone had told her 3 years ago that the author she'd idolized would become her _husband _she'd have told them they were certifiable. She could actually feel herself glowing.

They took their places at the head table, where a small appetizer plate had been assembled from the snacks their guests had been munching on in their absence. After that they enjoyed their main course, during which champagne was poured for the toast, to be given by Esposito. He rose and cleared his throat nervously.

"Kate and Ryan and I tease one another, but when it comes down to it, we have one another's backs. That's what we do, that's the job. We're sorta like family. So when Richard Castle came along and schmoozed his way into our investigation, into our precinct, onto our _team, _we" he indicated Kevin and himself "didn't know what to think, other than that there was going to be some entertainment. To our amazement, he fit with the team like he was made to be there. Then, something else started happening. The little looks, the finishing one another's sentences, the interest in one another's personal lives." He turned to regard the newlyweds with mock sternness. "For two brilliant people, you were damned _stupid_ when it came to your _partner." _Lanie nodded enthusiastically at that. "Fortunately, with a little help, you smartened up, allowing us all to have this amazing party. So here's to Beckett and Castle! Or is it Castle and Castle now?"

"We're still negotiating about that." Kate laughed. She looked deeply into Rick's eyes over her glass, causing him to gently remove the flute from her hand andclose the distance for a kiss. She felt a tug at her elbow and turned to find Lanie staring at her impatiently.

"Girl, I hate to interrupt you while you're playing kissy face, but we've got to bustle up that train before you start dancing, or else the two of you are going to get tangled in it and I don't have my medical bag here to fix sprained ankles."

Kate excused herself and let Lanie drag her off into the corner, where Alexis, his mother, and even Jenny were waiting. Rick watched, trying not to let his jaw go slack, as the female entourage clustered around Kate like some demented pit crew. It occurred to him to wonder what was going on, but he'd decided long ago that some things should remain part of the feminine mystique. After plucking at the fabric of her dress one more time, they let her return to his side. He caught the DJ's eye and nodded.

"And now the bride and groom will have their first dance."

Rick wiped his mouth and rose from his seat. He held his hand down to Kate. "_Tansevai so'mnoi? _Dance with me?"

Kate gaped at him, but wordlessly lifted her hand and allowed him to help her out of her seat and guide her to the dance floor. The opening strains of their chosen song rose from the speakers. Rick took her into his arms and lead her around the floor, his eyes never leaving her face. From their tables the others watched, overjoyed at the sight, so long overdue.

As Rick held Kate close to him, his eyes swept over her again. He took note of the pearls and the bracelet, and his heart swelled just a bit more as he came to a full understanding of the actions his mother and his daughter had taken to show their acceptance of her.

Their song was just ending when they both became aware of a presence at their elbows. Jim Beckett stood there with a warm smile on his face. "Mind if I cut in?"

Rick nodded graciously and backed away to watch the scene. After Kate and her father finished their dance to 'I Loved Her First', Kate's tears barely restrained, Rick took his turn with Martha to 'Because You Loved Me'. He addressed her with a knowing grin. "Grandmother's pearls were a nice touch. Glad to know Kate's the one who's NOT going to break my heart."

Once these three traditional dances were complete, it was time for the cutting of the cake. To everyone's utter shock, Rick behaved himself and fed Kate daintily. His bride, on the other hand, executed a messy cake smushing that could only have been born of two years of pent up revenge for his antics. Once he cleaned up, the photographer rounded the party up for some group formals, while the kitchen staff was plating out the cake. After the decadent pastry had been consumed, it was time for more dancing.

At the opening strains of "Daddy's Little Girl", Castle fetched Alexis from where she was chatting with a cute young waiter. "Come on, Miss Heartbreaker, dance with your old man." He offered his elbow and escorted her to the center of the floor. He led her through a few turns and she followed his lead flawlessly. Wistfully he gazed at her.

"Guess you don't need to stand on my shoes anymore, eh? My little girl, all grown up. And just think, in September you're off to NYU, and maybe you'll meet someone, and in a few years we'll be back on a dance floor, only then _you'll_ be all in white…" he trailed off.

Alexis shook her head, laughing a little at his dejected expression. "Relax, Dad, I'm not rushing anything."

Her smile was infectious, and cheered him instantly. "That was a very sweet thing you did for Kate, by the way."

His daughter feigned ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. The bracelet? I'm not so distracted, _or_ senile, that I wouldn't notice."

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Later that evening, Kate and Rick danced their final dance of the evening, then exited the ballroom, promising to see everyone at brunch the following morning. They made their way up to the bridal suite, where Kate began fishing in her purse. Rick gently stilled her hand. His hand disappeared into his jacket pocket and reappeared with a key card between the first two fingers.

"Allow me." At her confused look, he explained. "Alexis gave me her key. It's not as though she will be needing it, now will she?" He opened the door and pocketed the card, holding up his index finger when she stepped toward the room. Before she could register his intent, he swept her into his arms and carried her into the suite. The bedside lamps glowed softly. Rather than put her back on her feet, he strode to the bed and placed her there with as much care as he would an infant.

Kate raised herself up to rest on her elbows. She regarded him as his hands slid along her body to her feet. "Cutting right to the chase, are we?" she asked.

"It is my intention to take your breath away, as you have done to me…" he said smoothly, slipping her shoes off. While one hand massaged her foot, the other slid up the outside of her leg. He gave her a delighted grin when his fingers found the edge of the thigh high stocking. He deftly unclipped it from the garter belt and eased it down her leg. He repeated the same process on the other leg.

He realized that although romantic and gallant, there was a drawback to laying her on the bed as he had. Now he couldn't access the zipper of the dress. A solution came to mind, but first….

He kicked his shoes off, then slid the suspenders off his shoulders and removed his pants, watching Kate the whole time. Was it his imagination, or did she look disappointed that she wasn't helping him out of his clothes?

He crawled up on the bed beside her and rolled her to her side so that she lay facing him. He kissed her and stroked her back, easing the zipper down. Finally, practicality won out over his misguided attempt at horizontal seduction, as he realized he should get her out of the dress so as not to rumple it too much. He broke off the kiss and brought her to a stand. The dress dropped to her feet, and with it, his jaw. Underneath the gown, she'd worn a pure white satin corset with embroidery and lace trim. He looked up when he heard her chuckling.

"Nice to know I can still surprise _you," _she said, stepping out of the dress and relocating it safely on a chair. "The look on your face was well worth the effort it took to get into this thing. Now _you_ get to help me out of it." She turned her back to him and gestured. There were at least twenty hook-and-eye closures holding the garment together.

"Yes, ma'am" he replied eagerly. He crossed to her and began working on the hooks, placing a kiss on each inch of skin that he bared. Finally the corset fell away, and Kate sighed gratefully, running her hands over her torso.

"The things we women do…" She trailed off as he continued his attention. She groaned when he brought his hands around to cup her breasts, while dropping hot wet kisses on her neck. One hand left her breast to slide down over her stomach and into her lacy panties. When his finger delved into the wet crevice, she was nearly overcome with sensation. She tried to turn in his embrace, but he held her firmly, murmuring in her ear.

"Let this moment be about you." Far beyond rational thought, she simply relaxed against him. He moved his head around to kiss the other side of her neck but otherwise continued his attention, working her toward her climax. He felt her tensing, knew what was coming, but was still not prepared for the scream she released.

He slowly withdrew his hands, needing them now to hold her up as she sagged against him. Chuckling, he turned her around and walked her backward to the bed, where he lay down with her. When her eyes could focus again, she began undoing his shirt buttons, trailing kisses downward as he had. When she got to the waistband of his boxers, she realized that he was more than ready for round two. She slipped her underwear off and assisted him with his. Laying on her back, she pulled him down to her and hooked her calf behind his back. With a growl he entered her, panting as he swiftly drove them both to oblivion. Exhaustion from their loving and the fullness of the day sent them both into blissful slumber.

When Kate woke the next morning, she discovered that Rick was staring at her goofily. "Good morning Wife. Time for presents?" he asked, sounding for all the world like a kid at Christmas. When she nodded, he bounded off the bed for his luggage.

Kate reached into the nightstand where she had concealed his gift, knowing that this would likely be the first order of the day. He returned holding another Tiffany box. Really, did he not know of any other places to shop? Watching for his reaction, she extended her hand to reveal a long flat box in the same Tiffany blue paper. "You first, Husband…" she said softly.

He lifted the lid and examined the pen set he'd revealed. There was engraving. '_Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart'. _"Wordsworth, excellent choice. But…?" Only Rick could make a single word sound like a question.

"For all the gadgets you own, you still prefer good old pen and paper from time to time…" she observed.

He smiled at her, for once at a complete loss for words. She really never ceased to amaze him. He swallowed around an unfamiliar lump in his throat. "Open yours…" he said hoarsely.

She opened her box to reveal another platinum slide for her choker, this one heart shaped and encrusted with diamonds. He'd had engraving done, too, in the essence of simplicity. '_Love, Me'._

Kate Beckett Castle smiled at her new husband, and he, back at her. They gazed at one another for a few moments, before the ringing of the telephone penetrated their little bubble. It was the hotel desk with their wake-up call, so that they could attend the farewell brunch, before they winged off on their honeymoon.

After dressing and packing, they headed downstairs. This time all of the tables were arranged in a big horse shoe. "So, you still haven't told me where you're going on your honeymoon." Lanie asked her best friend.

Kate darted a look in Rick's direction before responding, reluctantly. "That's because…I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know? How does a woman _pack_ for 'I don't know'?" the M.E. demanded.

Rick spoke up. "What she's trying not to tell you, because it totally KILLS her reputation as having top notch interrogation skills, is that I have refused to reveal our destination. She's just going to have to be surprised. And I think we've established that whatever clothing she might not have packed, I can acquire for her." He raised one eyebrow, challenging either woman to contradict him.

Hearing that Kate still hadn't been able to wheedle the honeymoon location out of him, Esposito and Ryan regarded Castle with matching grumpy looks. "Pay up, guys." Castle said softly, once Kate was again distracted by Lanie. They each handed over a twenty.

"I can't believe it, man. I've seen hardened criminals crack under her questioning."

"I had two things going for me. One, my desire to see the surprised look trumped any threats she was making. Two, I have a tube of numbing cream handy when I think she might go for my nose or my ears!"

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**_Well? What did you think? Please Please Please Review, and thank you so much for reading._**


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